Safety challenge encourages drivers to buckle up, put phone down

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) wants drivers to make safety a priority by buckling up and putting down the phone every time they operate a vehicle.

Wednesday, October 28th is Buckle Up Phone Down Day, that urges drivers to make two simple choices that can help decrease traffic injuries and fatalities on Kansas roadways: Always wear a seat belt and avoid distracted driving.

"I'm encouraging all Kansans to join me by accepting the challenge to buckle up and put the phone down every time you get into your vehicle," said Kansas Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed. "If we want our kids to be safe drivers, it starts with us. That means leading by example and having honest conversations with our teens about the responsibility that comes with driving."

According to preliminary Kansas 2025 crash data, 368 people died in Kansas crashes. Of these, 110 were unbelted. Additionally, in over 1,900 crashes with suspected serious injuries, 379 of the injured occupants were unbelted. In the same year, 60 people died in crashes linked to any type of distracted driving, and another 421 persons were suspected to having sustained serious injury in distracted driving crashes. Each of these crashes - and the resulting deaths and injuries - may have been prevented. According to NHTSA, wearing a seatbelt reduces your risk of fatal injury by about 45% in a passenger car and by 60% in a light truck. Moderate to severe injury is reduced by 50% and 65% respectively.

Cell phone use is the most common form of distracted driving. Texting is particularly dangerous because it involves visual, manual and cognitive distraction. KDOT encourages drivers to:

• Park in a safe location before reading or sending a text message.
• Ask a passenger to serve as the "designated texter" to respond to calls or messages.
• Activate your phone's "Do Not Disturb" feature, silence notifications or put your phone away so you won't be tempted to respond.
• Speak up if you see someone texting and driving and ask them to put the phone down.

The Missouri Department of Transportation created the campaign in 2017, and it has since grown into a nationwide campaign.

For more information about the campaign and to accept the challenge, visit www.modot.org/buckleupphonedown.