Members of the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety are teaming with other safety groups for a public discussion Tuesday in Columbia about the dangers of distracted driving.
Called the Missouri Roundtable of Distracted Driving: Act to End Deadly Distraction, the conversation will include the National Transportation Safety Board, the Missouri Department of Transportation, the University of Missouri and StopDistractions.org. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in Stotler Lounge at Memorial Union, 518 Hitt St.
According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, distracted driving contributed to more than 19,000 car crashes last year. Highway crashes are a leading cause of death nationwide, and in Missouri, one of only two states without an all-driver texting ban, 79 individuals died in crashes involving a distracted driver, MoDOT said in a press release. Overall cellphone related crashes in Missouri have increased by 35% since 2014, the agency said.
To read more go to the Columbia Missourian.