Protect yourself and your loved ones: Park the phone and pay attention while driving
April 1, 2024
You see it, and it's so aggravating. That vehicle ahead of you, slowly drifting in and out of the lane and onto the shoulder. You notice the driver holding their phone, actively engaged in conversation, or they're looking down, glancing up occasionally to check the road.
Tragically, distracted driving is more than just an annoying behavior. It's killing and seriously injuring people across Minnesota and leaving devastated families behind. The stories are heartbreaking.
- In June 2014, a driver picked up his cell phone to make a bank transaction while driving in Rock County. His distracted choice led to the crash that killed Andrea Boeve, a mother of two who was bicycling with her young daughters.
- Joe Tikalsky of New Prague was getting the newspaper from his mailbox across the road when a distracted driver killed him in October 2015.
- Chad Popp, a farmer from Rice, was hit head-on by a distracted driver using a cell phone in May 2016. The crash broke 36 bones in his body.
If you're tempted by distractions while driving, whether it's your phone, the radio, the coffee in your hand or simply daydreaming about the weekend – stop. Think about Andrea, Joe and Chad and what distracted driving did to them and their families. Think about your mom, sister, dad, son or best friend. What would happen to your world if you lost them because someone simply wasn't paying attention while driving?
In Minnesota, distracted driving contributed to nearly 30,000 crashes and an average of 29 deaths and 146 life-changing injuries a year from 2019-2023 (preliminary figures).
Enforcement and awareness efforts can help promote safety, prevent tragedy and change dangerous behaviors. Starting today and running through April 30, officers, deputies and troopers across the state are putting in extra hours, looking for distracted drivers. We coordinate the campaign with funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It includes advertising in support of the Toward Zero Deaths traffic safety program.
The hands-free cell phone law, already in place across all of Minnesota, means drivers can't hold their phone in their hand. Accessing or posting on social media, streaming videos, or Googling information while driving are against the law, even in hands-free mode. You can make calls, text, listen to music or podcasts and get directions, but only by voice commands or single-touch activation without holding the phone.
Make the safe choice to minimize distractions before you begin driving:
- Cell phones — Park the phone by putting it down. Activate the “Do Not Disturb" feature, silence notifications, turn it off, place it out of reach or go hands-free.
- Music and other controls — Pre-program radio stations and arrange music in an easy-to-access spot. Adjust mirrors and ventilation before traveling.
- Navigation — Map out the destination and enter the GPS route in advance.
- Eating and drinking — Avoid messy foods and secure drinks.
- Children — Teach children the importance of good behavior in a vehicle and model proper driving behavior.
- Passengers — Speak up to stop drivers from distracted driving behavior and offer to help with anything that takes the driver's attention off the road.
By choosing to drive distraction-free, you can stay safe on the road and make sure everyone else on the road with you is safe, too. For more information, visit HandsFreeMN.org and DriveSmartMN.org.
