     The national U Drive U Text U Pay Campaign began today with law enforcement agencies across the country putting more officers on the road in conjunction with an information campaign on the dangers of distracted driving – especially from texting.
The Nebraska Dept of Transportation Office of Highway Safety has provided grants to law enforcement agencies across the state, including the Chadron Police Department, to help pay the overtime costs of the additional officers.
      Chadron Police Officer Colin Dines says U Drive U Text U Pay and the grant to the Chadron Police Department means there may be more officers patrolling at any given time able to be on the lookout for distracted driving.
Dines says distracted driving has taken U-S roadways by storm over the past decade, endangering not only the distracted drivers, but their passengers, pedestrians and others using the road.
Anytime your attention shifts from driving, you’re distracted. That includes adjusting the radio or GPS, applying makeup, eating, or drinking, but Dienes says cell phone use – texting, talking, and using social media use — is now the most common source.
Texting, which includes messaging, is considered the most dangerous type of distracted driving because it combines visual, manual, and cognitive distraction.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which leads the national effort to save lives by preventing dangerous behaviors, says distracted driving claimed 3,522 in 2021 with the number continuing to rise.