The Colorado Department of Transportation is taking to Facebook to find messages to alert drivers to the dangers of distracted driving.

CDOT wants Facebook users to submit anti-distracted driving messages for possible use on highway message signs. The public will vote on the submissions and winning messages may be displayed on highway signs during April, according to a release.

The CDOT Facebook page began accepting user submissions March 31. The agency and the Colorado State Patrol are joining a national effort in recognizing April as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month by declaring distracted driving a significant threat to traffic safety in Colorado.

April 8-10 troopers will increase patrols, specifically looking for drivers who are distracted.

There were an estimated 15,307 distracted driving crashes in Colorado in 2015, a number that has grown by 16 percent in the last four years.

“In a recent CDOT survey, 25 percent of Colorado drivers admitted to using their cell phones for messaging, 38 percent talked on a hand-held cell phone, 63 percent used entertainment devices and 41 percent had eaten while driving in the previous week,” Darrell Lingk, director of the CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety, said in a news release. “It’s clear distracted driving poses a threat to anyone on Colorado roadways.”

Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or @dpmcghee