Sheriff’s Office recognizes Distracted Driving Awareness Month

WAUKEGAN – April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is urging drivers to drop their phones and focus on the road.

“Operating a vehicle on the roadway is a serious responsibility which can have deadly consequences if you are driving distracted,” Sheriff John Idleburg said in a news release. “It is not the time to send a text, check social media or utilize electronics when operating a vehicle.”

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police and more than 200 local law enforcement agencies around Illinois in April for a distracted driving safety campaign. Sheriff’s deputies will have zero tolerance for distracted driving violations.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 26,004 people died in U.S. crashes involving a distracted driver between 2012 and 2019.

The distracted driving campaign is administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation with federal traffic safety funds.