Extra police patrols out during Distracted Driving Awareness Month

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - It comes with a hefty fine and it kills thousands of people every year.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Idaho and Wyoming are increasing police patrols to remind drivers to keep their eyes on the road.

The types of distractions drivers are facing varies driver to driver. It can be simple tasks like adjusting the GPS, radio, or the air conditioning, to more complex distractions, like doing your hair, makeup or eating food.

But law enforcement says it's still cell phones that are the biggest distractions. 

"Many of the wrecks, the really bad wrecks, when we have fatalities and such, it usually has something to do with distracted driving and using a device," Sgt. Issac Payne, Public Information Officer of Madison County said.

Some of the most common violations are making phone calls, texting, and using social media while driving.

In 2022, distracted driving was responsible for over 4,700 accidents and the killing of 34 people in the Gem state.

This is why the Idaho state police and the Idaho Transportation Department are ramping up efforts to put a stop to distracted driving. 

"Distracted driving is one of the number one causes of our crashes," Captain Chris Weadick, Idaho State Patrol said. "Anything we can do to be able to reduce our crashes and to have drivers focused on driving specifically instead of their electronic devices."

Idaho is a hand-free state, which means it is against the law to use electronic devices while driving.

Your first violation will cost you $75. Which doubles during your second ($150) and third ($300) violations. After your third violation, you risk losing your license for 90 days.