Students invited to help make roads safer

BOISE — Idaho high school students are encouraged to use technology to help make roads safer through the National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology distracted-driving safety messaging challenge going on through Nov. 18. Students can submit social media posts and/or a short video to help spotlight the issue of distracted driving.

The competition has a $750 top prize, and a scholarship offer from the University of Idaho’s College of Engineering.

For more information about the competition, including submission instruction, please visit: www.uidaho.edu/itd-comp

Last year, there were nearly 5,500 distracted driving crashes in Idaho, resulting in 51 fatalities and 425 serious injuries. In the last five years, the totals are staggering: nearly 25,000 crashes, with 215 fatalities and more than 1,900 serious injuries.

It is a persistent problem with youthful drivers. Nationwide, six out of every 10 teen crashes involve driver distraction, which is characterized as an manual, visual or cognitive habit that take a driver’s hands off the wheel, eyes off the road, or mind off the important task of driving.