LPD cracks down on distracted driving

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Lexington police, along with law enforcement across the country, are focusing on educating people about the dangers of distracted driving. The reminder comes as a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls distracted driving a nationwide epidemic.

According to the CDC, in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and 1,100 injured every day in crashes that involve a distracted driver. Officials say in Kentucky in 2013, there were more than 52,500 crashes resulting in over 9,000 injuries and 163 fatalities due to distracted driving.

Lexington Police Lieutenant Chris Van Brackel says, "One of the problems is with everybody having a smartphone, we’re so used to having it. We are so used to communicating by text that we just don’t think about it when we’re driving a car."

You can read more about distracted driving and how to prevent it by clicking here.