The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) launched a safety campaign Monday aimed at saving lives and preventing crashes by encouraging motorists to buckle up and put down the phone.
Officials say the state’s first Buckle Up Phone Down campaign is using various sources of media and a new website (kyhighwaysafety.com) dedicated to promoting the initiative.
KOHS Acting Director Jason Siwula says the campaign offers compelling stories from credible sources urging drivers to buckle up and put the phone down. Siwula adds they believe that if all drivers practice these two, simple behaviors, there will
be a dramatic reduction in fatalities and injuries on Kentucky’s roadways.
According to KOHS, each year in Kentucky, distracted driving results in more than 50,000 crashes, more than 15,000 injuries and approximately 200 deaths. Officials say distracted driving behaviors, like texting, emailing and talking, are discouraged and drivers are advised to not interact with their phone.
Overall, highway fatalities declined in the commonwealth in 2018 to 724, down from 782 in 2017.
As of October 7, state officials report preliminary numbers indicate there have been 576 fatalities in 2019, up 21 compared to the same time last year. About 220 of those fatalities were not wearing seatbelts and more than 120 involved distraction.
