Statewide DZD Safety Coalitions Teaming up to Combat Distracted Driving

Published 11:00 am Sunday, May 16, 2021

Baton Rouge- The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s regional safety coalition, Destination Zero Deaths, is bringing awareness to distracted driving through a new statewide contest geared towards middle and high school students. This contest is designed to encourage young drivers to advocate for safe driving decisions and become the voice of positive messaging in their respective campuses and communities.

In 2019, a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that Louisiana is the seventh deadliest state for distracted driving fatalities. According to the latest data, 186 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2019 and 479 people were seriously injured. Texting while driving is an especially problematic trend among younger drivers who accounted for 16% of the distracted driving deaths on our roadways in 2019.

The contest is open to students in grades sixth to 12th statewide and must contain a distracted driving safety message through the creation of a meme or short video. Submissions opened May 3 and will close Sept. 10, with winners announced Oct. 17-23. Students have the opportunity to win various monetary prizes, ranging from $100 to $750.

Contest guidelines and rules can be found at https://tinyurl.com/DistractedDrivingContest.

For more information, on how to join statewide efforts to help reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities on our roadways caused by distracted driving and to help us meet Destination Zero Deaths goal, please visit www.destinationzerodeaths.com.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is committed to delivering transportation and public works systems that enhance the quality of life. In addition to more than 16,600 miles of roadway, including over 890 miles of interstate, DOTD supports the development of the state’s aviation, marine and rail infrastructures. Through this work, we are able to facilitate economic development, create job opportunities, improve vital evacuation routes, and make critical freight corridors safer and more efficient.

For more information, please visit www.dotd.la.gov, email dotdcs@la.gov, or call DOTD’s Customer Service Center at (225) 379-1232 or 1-877-4LADOTD (1-877-452-3683). Business hours are 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please let us know how we may better serve you: Customer Service Survey.