North Omaha Times

Sheriff Mike Robinson is pleased to announce 2022’s first traffic safety activity: YOU DRIVE, YOU TEXT, YOU PAY!

A grant by the Highway Safety Office, Nebraska Department of Transportation allows your Sheriff’s Department to place extra deputies on the road watching for drivers that are texting while driving.

Driving while texting is among the most dangerous activities drivers can engage in. 5 seconds is the minimum amount of attention that a driver who texts takes away from the road. If traveling at 55 mph, this equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road.

Grant Coordinator, Lt. Butch Groves stated that people who text while driving are 6 times more likely to get into an accident than those who drive while intoxicated. In short, you're less likely to get into an accident while driving drunk than you are while texting behind the wheel.

Your sheriff’s department is joining law enforcement agencies from throughout the country to prevent people from texting while driving. The YOU DRIVE, YOU TEXT, YOU PAY activity is scheduled to run April 4th through 10th.

In addition to being dangerous, if you are caught texting while driving, the financial penalties are significant. You will be fined 200 hundred to five hundred dollars and be assessed three points on your driver's license which will likely cause your auto insurance rates to increase.

So, put down your phone and concentrate on your driving!

Original source can be found here.