Distracted driving isn’t just a stupid mistake. It’s a deadly trend on American roads, and it’s getting worse.

Talking, using your phone, adjusting the radio, applying makeup, eating or drinking can all distract you from the essential task of safe driving. Far too many drivers succumb to the deadly — and often illegal — temptation that has emerged as one of the most common forms of distracted driving — texting.

FATAL CRASHES THAT INVOLVED A DISTRACTED DRIVER IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS.

Approximate number of people who died in crashes involving a distracted driver from 2012-2018.

Lives lost in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2018 — that's 2,841 too many.

Put Your Phone Away, or Get Ready to Pay

Forty-eight states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, have passed laws making it illegal to text while driving.

This April, as a key part of NHTSA’s U Drive. U Text. U Pay. campaign, law enforcement will be hypervigilant, looking for distracted drivers and charging fines. Since 2007, drivers age 16-24 have been distracted by devices at higher rates than other drivers, but we're all at risk for distracted driving crashes. Consider these tips for safe driving: