April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Kansas Department of Transportation urges drivers to stay focused and avoid distractions.

Distractions come in three forms:

• Visual – Taking your eyes off the road
• Cognitive – Losing focus on driving
• Manual – Removing hands from the wheel

Distracted driving is dangerous. Preliminary 2024 Kansas data reports 70 deaths and over 350 injuries from crashes involving distractions.

To drive safely, always:

• Keep your phone out of reach
• Use “Do Not Disturb” mode
• Let passengers handle navigation and calls
• Pull over safely before making calls or adjustments
• Avoid texting or calling someone who is driving—it can wait

Passengers should speak up if a driver is distracted and consider not riding with them again. Prioritizing safety can help prevent accidents.

“Distractions affect your ability to focus on driving,” said KDOT Behavioral Safety Manager Gary Herman. “Activities such as such as eating, applying makeup, reaching for objects, looking at scenery, daydreaming and quite often, texting, take your attention off the road and put the lives of other motorists, your passengers and you at risk for injury or death.”