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Sevierville Police Department Joins “One Text or Call Could Wreck It All” Campaign to Educate Area Drivers About Distracted Driving

Posted 04-01-21.

In an effort to make our roads safer, the Sevierville Police Department has joined the “One Text or Call Could Wreck It All” campaign to stop distracted driving. During the month of April, SPD has pledged their support to help spread the message that distracted drivers are not only a danger to themselves, but everyone else on the road.

“We all know that talking on our cell phones while driving is distracting, but that doesn’t stop many drivers from continuing to do it,” said SPD Lieutenant Matt Nicol, who is leading the department’s campaign. “This effort is intended to educate our community about the dangers of cell phone use and other distractions while driving. We hope that once people see the statistics and realize the danger involved, they will change their driving habits to help protect themselves, their families, and others on the road.”

In 2013, 3,154 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver and an estimated additional 424,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver. That same year, eleven percent of fatal crashes were reported as distraction-affected crashes.

While anything that takes your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind off the task of driving is a hazard, there is heightened concern about the risks of texting while driving because it combines all three types of distraction – visual, manual, and cognitive.

The national distracted driving effort focuses on ways to change the behavior of drivers through legislation, enforcement, public awareness, and education – the same activities that have curbed drunk driving and increased seat belt use.

SPD’s campaign will include education through social media posts and increased enforcement throughout the month of April.

“We urge all drivers in Sevierville help in this effort,” said SPD Chief Joseph Manning. “However, we especially want to reach out to parents with teen drivers because we know that statistically, the under-20 age group has the highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes.”

SPD’s goal with this campaign is simple – save lives by getting drivers to remember that “One Text or Call Could Wreck It All.”

For more information about distracted driving, please visit www.distraction.gov.

Contact Us

Bob Stahlke, Public Information Officer

300 Gary Wade Blvd.
Sevierville, TN 37864-5500
Phone: 865.453.5506