Distracted Driving

For more information on FDOT Distracted Driving related programs and grants, visit the Safety Office Distracted Driving page.

Distracted driving is one of the fastest-growing safety issues on the roads today. Distracted drivers aren’t just a threat to themselves: they’re a danger to everyone else on the road. The national distracted driving effort focuses on ways to change the behavior of drivers through legislation, enforcement, public awareness, and education.

For the past decade, distracted driving has taken U.S. roadways by storm, endangering not only the distracted drivers, but their passengers, pedestrians and others on the road — including bicyclists.

Life can present a lot of distractions and changes, but when we're behind the wheel we must be focused on one task: safe driving. Anytime you divert your attention from driving, you're distracted. This includes texting, talking, using your phone, adjusting the radio, setting your navigation, applying makeup, eating or drinking.

Texting, which includes messaging, is considered the most dangerous type of distracted driving because it combines visual, manual, and cognitive distraction.

Since 2007, drivers 16 to 24 years old have been distracted by devices at higher rates than other drivers, but we're all at risk for distracted driving crashes. Consider these tips for safe driving:

• If you must send or receive a text, pull over to a safe location and park your car first.
• If you have passengers, appoint a “designated texter” to handle all your texting.
• If you can’t resist the temptation to look at your phone, keep it in the trunk.

FDOT’s Distracted Driving Program supports a variety of strategies that target individuals driving distracted. FDOT will also be supporting the campaign with distracted driving education and awareness efforts including radio, social media and video PSAs statewide. FDOT encourages motorists to use the free Florida 511 app before hitting the road for real-time traffic information. For more information, visit the Safety Office Distracted Driving page.