April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Driver distraction is a major contributing factor in many fatal crashes. In Louisiana, in 2025, 19 people were killed because of distracted driving, and 4 more were determined to be related to a hand-held cell phone. The total number of suspected serious injury crashes due to distracted driving or cell phone use was 1,449. However, the number of distracted driving crashes is underreported. Many fatal and serious injury crashes involve the use of a cell phone or other handheld device.

Although cell phone use and texting are two of the most common distractions, any activity that takes a driver's mind off of the task of driving, hands off of the steering wheel, or eyes off of the road is considered a distraction. Many states and local jurisdictions are passing laws that prohibit these behaviors.

Louisiana has enacted legislation that bans hand-held electronic communication device usage for all drivers, with increased fines for violations occurring in school zones and work/construction zones. A study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that 6 out of 10 teen crashes involve driver distraction and more than half of teen drivers reported using a cell phone while driving and more than 1 in 4 have reported typing or sending a text message while driving in the past 30 days.