The Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Municipal Police Association are holding an adult distracted driving prevention course Saturday.
It's happening from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the West Waco Library on Bosque Boulevard.
In 2016, TxDOT spokesperson Kenneth Roberts said there were about 3,200 crashes involving distracted drivers in its Waco District, which consists of McLennan, Bell, Hill, Limestone, Bosque, Hamilton, Coryell, and Falls counties. Roberts said that number increased by 30% from the previous year.
Law enforcement liaison Garry Parker, who will be instructing Saturday's course, said distracted driving isn't just using your phone while driving. It's anything that takes your eyes and mind off the road, like eating, drinking, listening to music, etc.
"Driving, truly, is serious business. And the more serious we can make it, the less likely you are, as a driver, to have a close call, a crash, or an injury," he said.
Parker said driving statistics in Texas are alarming.
"When I do that show on Saturday morning, there will be roughly 90 car crashes that take place during that time frame. There will be approximately 45 people injured during that time frame, and that's just in the state of Texas," he said.
Parker said while his students probably won't be learning something new, he said the point of the course is to refresh their mind and change their attitudes about distracted driving.
The course is free and open to the public.
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