April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Eyes on the Road. Every Time.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month — and for those of us who spend our days working in and around live traffic, this isn't just a calendar awareness campaign. It's personal.

Every day, our crews set up equipment, manage flagging operations, and stand in live lanes. The drivers we're depending on to slow down, pay attention, and navigate our work zones safely? Some of them are looking at their phones. That's the reality. And it's why this month's message matters so much.

What Is Distracted Driving?

Distracted driving is any activity that takes attention away from the road. There are three types — and they all create risk:

• Manual — taking your hands off the wheel (texting, eating, adjusting controls)

• Visual — taking your eyes off the road (looking at a phone, checking GPS, turning to passengers)

• Cognitive — taking your mind off driving (phone conversations, daydreaming, fatigue)

Texting while driving is uniquely dangerous because it involves all three types at once. At highway speed, just five seconds of looking at your phone means traveling the length of a football field without watching the road.

Why This Matters for Our People

We’re not just talking about the drivers passing through our work zones — we’re talking about all of us behind the wheel too. Our trucks are commercial vehicles. Our team members drive to and between job sites every day. The standard we hold our field setups to applies equally to how we operate our vehicles.

Tips to Stay Focused Behind the Wheel

• Put your phone away before you start driving — out of reach, not just face-down

• Use “Do Not Disturb While Driving” mode on your phone

• Set your GPS and adjust mirrors before you pull out

• Pull over safely if you need to send a message or take a call

• Avoid eating or drinking while driving

• Ask passengers to help navigate or manage messages

• If you’re fatigued, pull over — cognitive impairment from fatigue is a distraction too

The road is our workplace. What we ask of the driving public, we ask of ourselves. Stay FOCUSED behind the wheel.