Oklahoma Highway Patrol Focusing On Distracted Driving

As the winter climate is available in, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol is warning drivers of how harmful distracted driving is.

The OHP has spent this month pulling individuals over for texting and driving or driving distracted. Troopers do that distracted driving marketing campaign every year to honor a trooper who was killed by a distracted driver again in 2015. Trooper Nick Dees was killed eight years in the past by somebody checking their social media whereas driving.

OHP says though many drivers noticed Dees working a crash and moved over, the one which didn’t value Dees his life.

“Looking again on the sprint cam, there have been so many automobiles that did the fitting factor,” mentioned Trooper Eric Foster with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. “They slowed down, they moved over, for all the first responders that were there. But there was one that went around marked units and struck two troopers walking on the roadway, trying to help people.”

Foster says being alert is even more important on days when it’s raining or snowing.

“When it is wet, or when it is slick, you need actually more time to make a decision to slow down, than you would even in pristine roadways,” said Foster.

He says texting and driving or being distracted by food, make-up, the radio, or anything else, can be as dangerous as driving drunk.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped a vehicle that couldn’t maintain its lane, was cutting other cars off, things like that, that I immediately thought, this is very indicative of an intoxicated driver,” mentioned Foster. “And to pull them over expecting to smell the alcohol when I walked up there, and there was no intoxication at all.”

Foster says it doesn’t matter if it’s a police car, any time you see someone on the side of the road, you need to move over.

“It is important to give that room because, just think about this, anytime you see red and blue lights, or amber lights, from first responders on the roadway, that normally means there is someone walking on the roadway,” Foster said.

His goal is to let them know their choices could hurt others and themselves.

“Really, that’s our ultimate goal, is just education,” Foster mentioned. “Make certain you are protected, it isn’t essentially to tug you over to jot down you a ticket or be the imply man, that is not what we’re attempting to do. We’re attempting to be sure to’re protected.”

The OHP Distracted Driving Campaign ends on January thirty first.