WHEREAS, distracted driving is any non-driving activity that takes your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel or interrupts your concentration while driving that increases the risk of crashing; and
WHEREAS, distractions can be visual, manual, or cognitive, and drivers who use handheld devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves; and
WHEREAS, driving while using a cell phone reduces brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent; and
WHEREAS, text messaging, browsing, and dialing results in a driver taking their eyes off the road for an average of 23.3 seconds, a duration of time that doubles the risk of a crash or near-crash; and
WHEREAS, in 2019, 154 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in North Carolina involving distracted drivers, a one percent increase from the year before; and
WHEREAS, in 2019, approximately 23,467 were injured in motor vehicle crashes in North Carolina involving distracted drivers, down slightly from the 24,178 people who were injured in 2018; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina law bans all cell phone use, both handheld and hands-free, for bus drivers and all drivers under the age of 18 years old, and bans texting and emailing for drivers of all ages; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation, Governor’s Highway Safety Program, Department of Insurance, Safe Kids North Carolina, and all law enforcement agencies continue to educate the public on the dangers of distracted driving;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim April, 2021, as “DISTRACTED DRIVING AWARENESS MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.