State Patrol Focuses on Distracted Driving

The Minnesota State Patrol is targeting distracted drivers during this month.

State Patrol Sgt. Curt Mowers says the campaign will have a focus on all distractions behind the wheel, beyond cell phone use and texting.

Driver distraction accounts for at least 25 percent of all crashes annually, resulting in 70 deaths and 350 injuries. Mowers feels these numbers are vastly underreported due to the challenges of determining “distraction” as a contributing crash factor.
 
Inattentive driving includes a range of distractions, from daydreaming to reaching for items to changing music.