Police, Insurers Team Up Against Distracted Driving

OWATONNA - Automobiles are so much a part of most people's daily lives that it can be easy to forget how dangerous they can be - and how quickly a mistake can lead to permanent consequences. And so, from the federal government down to local community leaders, officials are hoping to break through this month with a message to motorists to pay attention on the road.

"What we're asking is, before you start to drive, you need to be focused," Owatonna Police Sgt. Jason Petterson said. "Think about what you're doing. Set your music in advance, and know where you're going so you don't have to check while you drive."

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, sponsored by the National Safety Council, and involves a push by law enforcement to remind all drivers to keep their minds on the road. In Owatonna, Petterson is the coordinator for the Toward Zero Deaths program, in which Owatonna Police and officers from other local agencies put in extra hours of overtime patrol using state funding to spot distracted drivers on the road.

"Distracted driving is a leading factor in crashes in Minnesota," Petterson said. "That's supported by data from the state."

In fact, from 2011 to 2015, he said, state statistics show there were more than 86,000 crashes involving distracted driving - about one in four of all crashes. In 2015, the most recent year for which full data is available, it contributed to 7,666 injuries and 74 deaths on Minnesota roads.

The state tracks four categories of distracted driving: visual, meaning the driver looks away from the road; physical or mechanical, where the driver takes their hands away from the wheel; cognitive, for drivers lost in thought; and combinations of the other categories.

"That might be reading a map or typing a text message, where you're both looking away and your hands are busy," Petterson said.

Cell phones are particularly notorious distractors, and Petterson noted the law allows fully licensed drivers to use them for phone calls, but they cannot be used for texting, email or internet access while the vehicle is in motion or part of traffic. Drivers with learners permits can only use them for 911, he said.

While police are mounting extra patrols, other groups are tackling distracted driving from other directions. At Federated Insurance, which provides auto insurance for 30,000 customers, the company is reaching out with a message to "Drive SAFE" by targeting common causes of crashes, including distraction.

"What we have found is there are four criteria for … a lot of crashes [that] are preventable," Federated Corporate Communications Manager Shelby Zempel said. "It's broken down into Speed-related crashes, Attention-related … people are Fatigued when they're driving, or there's an Emotional component. That could be a road rage, but it could also be they had a fight with their spouse this morning, so they're concerned … each one of those pieces are represented in an acronym."

Through its marketing staff, Federated is sharing tips and teaching materials to tackle all four common causes with its clients, an expansion of the distracted driving campaign the company launched last year. The company also has billboards up around southern Minnesota to share the campaign with other motorists.

"If we can help people really understand the tragedies that are happening form distracted driving and not driving safe, hopefully we can change the trajectory we're seeing," Zempel said. "If we can all try to build awareness, I think it's positive for the community we live and work."

Distracted Driving Awareness Month runs through the end of April, and statistics and educational resources are available at the National Safety Council's website, www.nsc.org. Local police will be conducting additional patrols through Toward Zero Deaths from April 10 to 23.