By Payton Tholstrup

Wednesday, October 25th is Buckle Up, Phone Down Day. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and the Drive to Zero Coalition are teaming up to challenge all drivers to put aside distractions and focus on safety. The goal is to reduce traffic fatalities and bring awareness to the importance of putting the phone down and buckling up.

Across the United States, more than 42,500 people died in crashes in 2022. About 50% of those were not wearing a seatbelt. In Kansas, 410 people died in traffic crashes last year. According to KDOT, 156 of those people were not wearing a seatbelt.

Not wearing a seatbelt isn’t the only issue. Driving while distracted has also been a big concern. Last year, more than 13,000 crashes in Kansas occurred because drivers were inattentive and paying more attention to other things such as cell phones, eating, reading, other passengers in the car, etc. Those crashes resulted in a total of 98 fatalities but over 4,7000 injuries.

You can follow KDOT on social media to learn more and participate in BUPD by using hashtags like #BUPD and #BUPDDAY.