— Submitted by San Juan County Sheriff’s Department

April is National Distracted Driver’s Awareness Month. This is the month where we, as first responders and safety coalitions nationwide, put a strong emphasis on safety on our roadways.

In the San Juan islands we have more than your average number of people walking, hiking, and biking around our county. As such, the effects of distracted drivers can be felt so much more than in larger, more urban areas.

In 2012, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated 3,328 people were killed in crashes involving distracted driving and that an estimated 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes where the driver was either texting or talking on their cell-phones.

Drivers who use cell-phones while driving are over four times more likely to be involved in a crash (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).

For the month of April, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office will be putting an emphasis on distracted driving and cell-phone use. We will have extra patrols out throughout the month enforcing cell-phone laws in an effort to keep runners, walkers, and bikers who share the roadways with automobiles safe.

Please drive responsibly and put the phone down or pull over to the side of the roadway to talk.