Did You Know April Is Distracted Driving Month In Texas?

Texas drivers better really stay off the phone this month. Cops all over Texas may be keeping an extra eye out for chatty or "texty" drivers.

The Texas Department of Transportation has declared April National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and kicked off their annual "Talk, Text, Crash" campaign.

Distracted driving isn't limited to being on your phone or texting. Eating, messing with the radio, doing your makeup ... even your passengers can become a distraction. Stay focused on the road.

In may seem like it's only a second as you check that text or dial a number but, if you're traveling at 70 miles per hour, that "second" amounts to over 100 feet. Plus, even though it feels like only a second, it's probably more. Maybe a lot more.

If you're on the freeway, (especially one away from city congestion), you're probably going even faster. That second or two can easily lead you out of your lane, into a guardrail or worse.

“Distracted driving was been linked to more than 94,000 crashed in Texas last year, 1 in every 6 (crashes),” said Eduardo Perales, director of transportation and operations for TxDOT. - ktsm

TxDOT also told channel 9 that "there was a total of 2,611 traffic crashes with a distracted driver in El Paso last year, resulting in nine deaths and 32 serious injuries".

This month, cops will be keeping an eye out for people on or otherwise using their phones. (Or doing anything else behind the wheel that could cause an accident.) Do yourself and everyone else a favor and keep your eyes on the road.