Putting on makeup, eating, or texting are all things that can distract us behind the wheel, but Chief Frank Leonbruno with the Lake County Sherriff’s Office said it’s time to stop, and his department is doing something about it.
“It’s not getting better, it’s getting worse,” he said.
Getting worse and more dangerous, The Governors Highway Safety Association report released in February estimates that 5,984 pedestrians were killed in the U.S. in 2017 as a result of distracted driving.
“There’s a lot more vehicles on the road today than ever before,” said Chief Deputy Frank Leonbruno.
And with more cars there’s more distracted drivers on the roads. In a News 5 investigation last month, our camera caught drivers on the highway doing things like eating, talking on their cell phone without their hands on the wheel, not paying attention and texting while driving.
“300,030 people every year are in car accidents because they texted on their cell phone,” the Chief Deputy said.
That’s why he and his department are doing something about it. They’re starting a campaign this month for Distracted Driving Awareness month, putting out social media videos, to get drivers to realize it can wait.
“You have to go where people are at today,” he said.
