19-03 April Distracted Driver Awareness Month
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oak Brook Police
Department
1200 Oak Brook Road
Oak Brook, IL 60523
(630) 368-8702
Contact:
Officer Katie Yager
Public Information Officer
(630) 368-8734
cyager@oak-brook.org
Heightened enforcement of hands-free law in April,
National Distracted Driving Awareness Month
Oak Brook - April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Oak Brook Police
Department is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Police, and
more than 100 local law enforcement agencies throughout the state to remind drivers to drop their
phones or pay up.
Motorists will see increased patrols and enforcement zones across Illinois throughout the month. The
Oak Brook Police will be ticketing drivers who text or use their cellphones while driving.
Over the past decade, distracted driving has become one of the leading causes of vehicle crashes on our
roads. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, 3,166 people died in motor
vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2017. While this represents a nine-percent decrease in
distracted driving fatalities from 2016, there is clearly more work to be done.
“Every day, you can look out your car window and see a driver using their cellphone,” said Chief
Kruger. “People know texting and driving is dangerous and illegal, but they do it anyway, and it puts
others at risk. We are going to be especially vigilant in enforcement with the tragic loss of another State
Trooper the past week.”
Texting while driving distracts a driver visually, manually and cognitively. Sending or receiving a text
takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving blind at 55
miles per hour for the length of an entire football field.
Follow these steps for a safe driving experience:
• If you are expecting a text message or need to send one, pull over and park your car in a safe
location. Once you are safely off the road and parked, it is safe to text.
• Designate your passenger as your “designated texter.”
• Do not engage in social media scrolling or messaging while driving.
• Put your cellphone in the trunk, glove box, or back seat until you arrive at your destination.
The Distracted Driving enforcement campaign is supported through federal funds administered by IDOT.
Prepared by KY70
Approved by JK
Date 3/29/19 @1000