April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and TxDOT is warning that distracted driving is a problem that just keeps getting worse.
Between 2020 and 2021, officials with TxDOT say the number of distracted driving deaths shot up 17 percent. Nearly 3,000 people were seriously injured by distracted driving in Texas over that timeframe, 431 were killed.
"Most distracted driving deaths are preventable," says TxDOT spokesperson Kendall Kirkham Sloan. "That's why these numbers are just so disappointing."
The last deathless day on Texas roads was in November ... 2000.
"Last year was the second deadliest year on Texas roads," Kirkham Sloan says. "We are trying to continue to push this message: Please put down your phones and just drive." It's a simple message, but people aren't listening."
As part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, TxDOT is conducting Talk. Text. Crash. outreach events around the state, including one next weekend in Arlington. The event schedule is as follows:
April 16- San Antonio
April 18- Austin
April 21- El Paso
April 23- Houston
April 24- Arlington
April 30- McAllen
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