Carson City Sheriff’s Office focusing on distracted driving in April

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office will be focusing on distracted driving for the April Joining Forces event.

The event will focus on educating drivers to keep their eyes on the road and to put away cell phones and other items that can cause distractions.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nationally, 3,179 people were killed and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2014. Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55 mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded.

Joining Forces is a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement program that promotes statewide enforcement in the areas of DUI, distracted driving, seat belt use, speeding and pedestrian safety. The goal of these enforcement campaigns is to save lives by increasing public awareness about the dangers of making poor choices while driving.