Speeding and distracted driving top of list for summer freeway offenses

Wyoming Highway Patrol Lieutenant Erik Jorgenson updated listeners of Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse on the traffic seen by the WHP this past summer and warned the public of speeding and distracted driving.

Jorgenson reported the traffic on Interstate 90 this past summer appeared to be typical if not a little less than normal for the season. Jorgenson stated after confirming with other law enforcement agencies, activity on the roads of the Big Horn Mountains was reduced this year, citing wet, soggy roads causing closures. 

Although the traffic activity over the summer was slightly less than typical, two offenses often cited by the WHP remain to be speeding and distracted driving. 

Lt. E. Jorgenson

According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 8% of fatal crashes, 14% of injury crashes, and 13% of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2021 were reported as distraction affected crashes. Distracted driving claimed 3,522 lives in 2021.

Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on a cell phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in the vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system — anything that takes the operator’s  attention away from the task of safe driving.