MN State Patrol Targeting Distracted Drivers This Easter Weekend

It's been harped on for years but some people just aren't getting the message.

Minnesota State Patrol will be out in force this Easter weekend looking for speeders and especially distracted drivers. So, lift your foot a bit off the gas and put away your phone while driving.

I'm on I-94 for about 350 miles every week and I see way too many drivers being distracted by a number of things. Mainly, it's being on the phone. In Minnesota it's against the law to actually be holding the phone while talking. Many cars are now equipped with Bluetooth, allowing you to use the phone hands free.

But, I've seen people not only talking or texting on their phone but actually taking a selfie. WTH!  Besides eating messy foods or beverages, texting has to be the most dangerous of all.  Taking your eyes off the road can be extremely risky.

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Distracted driving can cost you. The fines are pretty steep in Minnesota but the biggest cost could be your life or somebody else's.  How senseless is it to cause your death or someone else's just because you were too busy texting to pay attention to your driving.

Distracted driving contributes to an average of 31 deaths per year, according to statistics from 2016 through 2020. That's why awareness and enforcement are so important: The fewer distracted drivers on Minnesota roads, the better. Distracted driving contributes to 11 percent of all crashes in Minnesota – that's over 39,000 in the last five years.

The Minnesota Department of public Safety is certainly not keeping their distracted driving enforcement campaign a secret. It's been all over social media, media relations, and misc advertising.

Some tips to make your journey safer would be to pull off the road if you absolutely have to communicate with someone. Remember, it's illegal to just pull over to the side of an interstate highway, you must pull off completely.  My 25 year old daughter actually sets her phone to Do Not Disturb before driving.

Always make sure your radio presets, mirrors, vents, etc. are all adjusted before you start your trip.

Simply put, don't do anything that is going to distract from you main job, driving.

Safe travels and Happy Easter!