COLLEGE STATION, Texas — April is National Distracted Driving Awareness month and Texas deaths behind the wheel continue to rise from the big city to rural areas, with construction zones being the leading location where these accidents occur.
According to TxDOT data, the number of drivers killed in construction zones on Texas roadways has gone up by a third in 2021.
26,000 crashes were reported in construction areas all across the state.
Daniel Armbruster of AAA Texas says distractions for drivers continue to grow.
“Distracted driving is underreported but is a growing problem here in Texas," said Armbruster. "We saw in 2021 the number of people killed by distracted driving increased versus 2020 and 2019, so it continues to be a problem on our roadways.”
To help combat distracted driving, AAA Texas and the Houston police collaborated to create a documentary focused on encouraging drivers to think twice while behind the wheel.
Officer Sal Corral of the Houston Police Department says he wants to spread the message not just in Houston, but across the entire state.
“Unfortunately, in that documentary that we see – its tail after tail of somebody getting hurt because they didn’t want to leave the phone alone," said Corral. "It’s something we all are cognizant of but we all have to make it a reality.”
Whether driving in Houston or in the Brazos Valley, Daniel Armbruster of AAA Texas hopes the documentary ‘Sidetracked’ can keep drivers from getting sidetracked on road.
Visit the link to watch the full documentary: