MDOT posts distracted driving video

“Step in the cell!” is the first thing that you hear in a new safety video posted on the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) YouTube channel www.youtube.com/michigandot. The new educational video, titled “Distracted driver crashes and goes to jail,” shows some of the consequences motorists can face if they engage in dangerous distracted driving behavior.

The safety video was produced by the MDOT Office of Communications in partnership with the Michigan State Police (MSP), the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, and the Traffic Improvement Association of Michigan (TIA).

MDOT hopes to raise awareness and change driving habits to improve roadway safety. According to www.distraction.gov, the official U.S. government Web site for distracted driving, 3,092 people were killed in 2010 in crashes involving a distracted driver. That same year, an estimated 416,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.