Cops Looking for Texting Drivers Near Schools

MINNEAPOLIS - Sheriff’s deputies and local police officers are on the lookout for distracted drivers in schools zones as students across Minnesota head back to school.

On top of texting while driving, officers will be looking for violators of speed limits, seat belt use, child safety restraint laws, passing stopped school buses, reckless driving behavior and other traffic violations.

’With a new school year starting, school buses are back on the roadways and kids are walking and biking to class,’ Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek said. ’It is important for everyone to help keep our kids safe by making a commitment to end texting while driving.’

Survey: 9 in 10 Teens Text and Drive

Drivers are asked to sign a written pledge against texting while they are behind the wheel. It is illegal to text while driving in Minnesota.

Download the pledge: www.hennepinsheriff.org (click on Safety Tips)

Children who are not old enough to drive can also help prevent texting while driving. If a child knows a friend or relative is driving, they shouldn’t send a text message to them. If a child is a passenger in a vehicle, they should speak up for their own safety and ask the driver not to text while driving ’ even if the driver is mom or dad.

’I know many parents who began wearing seatbelts because their kids insisted that on it,’ Stanek said. ’The best enforcement against texting while driving will often take place inside the vehicle.’

A study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found those who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in some type of safety critical event as compared to those who don’t text..

Distracted Driving Safety Reminders

Be smart. Never text while driving. No text message is worth being distracted and getting into an accident.

Be caring. Don’t send a text to anyone when you know they are driving, or to anyone you know is likely behind the wheel.

Be in control. Remember it’s your phone. You decide if and when to send and read texts so take control. Consider turning your phone off, setting it to silent or even storing it in the glove box before hitting the road.

Be an example. Don’t send the wrong message by texting while you drive. Your family and friends will follow your example.

The survey by Seventeen magazine and AAA found nearly 90 percent of teens have texted or talked on a cell phone while driving , although most of them know their actions increase their risk of crashing.

Driver distraction is a leading factor in crashes in Minnesota, accounting for at least 25 percent of all crashes annually, resulting in at least 70 deaths and 350 injuries. Public safety officials say these numbers are vastly under-reported due to officers’ challenges to determine ’distraction’ as a contributing crash factor.

Survey: Teens Texting More Than Ever Before