April is distracted driving awareness month in Florida and drivers are being urged to keep their eyes on the road and focus on driving in an effort to reduce distracted driving crashes

April is distracted driving awareness month in Florida and drivers are being urged to keep their eyes on the road and focus on driving in an effort to reduce distracted driving crashes.

In 2018, there were more than 52,000 crashes involving distracted driving in Florida, which is more than five crashes every hour.

Last year, distracted driving crashes accounted for more than 3,000 serious injuries and 233 fatalities.

Distracted driving crashes have increased over 25 percent since 2013.

Texting is one of the most dangerous driver distractions since it takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel and your mind off of driving.

Using a cell phone while driving is not a primary offense in Florida yet which means you can't be pulled over for it without first breaking another law, but there is a bill before the legislature this year to make it a primary offense.

But texting is not the only distracted driving behavior; other dangerous driving distractions include putting on makeup, tending to children in the backseat, eating, tuning the radio, checking GPS navigation and even daydreaming.

And remember, if you see someone driving dangerously, you should report it by calling *FHP on your cell phone.

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