PLANO – Plano police say there were nearly 6,000 crashes in the city last year, and that almost 20% were caused by distracted drivers. “People under the age of 30 are the most likely to be in a distracted driving crash. They feel like they have to answer a text, a phone call or a Tweet immediately,” said Officer David Tilley with the Plano Police Department. April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. According to its website, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is addressing what it calls a nation-wide epidemic, urging drivers to put down their cellphones to avoid phone calls, texts, emails or social media updates while driving. Other common driver distractions include eating and drinking, reading, using a navigation system and watching videos. Distracted driving poses not only a danger to the drivers, but also others on and off the roadways. In 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that crashes involving distracted drivers killed 3,179 people and injured 431,000.
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