Multi-Agency Distracted Driving Enforcement Effort Set April 21 & 25 Targeting I-5 & I-205 Area

Next week, the Oregon State Police (OSP), Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and Tualatin Police Department are conducting joint enforcement operations on Interstate 5, Interstate 205 and area roads aimed to prevent traffic crashes that may be connected with distracted driving. During April, law enforcement and traffic safety partners have taken educational and enforcement steps to increase awareness and save lives during national "Distracted Driving Awareness" month.

 
OSP, ODOT, law enforcement in Oregon and around the nation, along with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) consider distracted driving to be an emerging highway safety issue that must be addressed.  OSP, CCSO and Tualatin Police Department are conducting joint enforcement efforts Monday morning, April 21, and Friday afternoon, April 25.
 
Distracted driving-related behavior may be factors in crashes involving following too close, fail to obey traffic control devices, fail to maintain lane of travel, and roadway departures. The most obvious violation associated with distracted driving will be handled through enforcement of Oregon’s cell phone law (Unlawful Use of a Mobile Communication Device).
 
Distraction is anything that diverts the driver's attention from the primary tasks of navigating the vehicle and responding to critical events. To put it another way, a distraction is anything that takes your eyes off the road (visual distraction), your mind of the road (cognitive distraction), your hands off the wheel (manual distraction) and hearing something not related to driver (auditory distraction).
 
According to ODOT, from 2008 - 2012 in Oregon, 13 people were killed in crashes involving drivers using a handheld mobile communication device to talk or text. During that same five year period in Oregon, 65 people died in crashes involving any kind of distracted driver.
 
OSP, CCSO and Tualatin Police Department remind drivers of all ages that a lot can happen during a period of distracted driving, no matter how brief it may be. For example, when sending or receiving a text, a driver's eyes are taken off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. At 55 mph (the posted speed on the targeted highways listed above), this is the equivalent to driving the length of a football field while blindfolded.
 
Now is a good time for all users of the transportation system to put away the distractions and focus on getting where you want to go safely.