Palos Park Police Warn About Distracted Driving

Palos Park Police plan to begin a distracted driving enforcement campaign this summer.

Officers will be watching for drivers who are texting, using a hand-held cell-phone, grooming, reading or participating in other major distractions while driving.

"The extra enforcement is meant to promote safety and the officers on the enforcement campaign will monitor Palos Park roads around the clock," said Palos Park Police Chief Joe Miller in a release. "We are simply seeking compliance."

Chief Miller noted that in 2011, 3,331 people in the United States were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 3,267 in 2010, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Another 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 416,000 injured in 2010.

Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the task of driving and therefore endanger driver, passenger and bystander safety, according to the NHTSA.

Because text messaging requires visual, manual and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction, the agency says.

Source: Palos Park Police Department

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