State police say they’re cracking down against distracted driving, including increased patrols.
The move comes following what the state calls a growing trend of wrong-way driving, as well as a spike in fatal collisions on Interstate 95, including vehicles crossing the median.
During a press conference Monday, Gov. Kelly Ayotte — who has a 17-year old son — said parents need to model good behavior as drivers for their teenagers.
“Reaching for that cell phone, or reaching for that hamburger, or a cup of coffee, when we should be paying attention to the road, and our children watch what we do,” said Ayotte.
Kyle Simpson also spoke at the press conference, where he reminisced about his 8-year old son Gabe, who was killed in a collision on Route 16 in Conway in 2022. Simpson’s family said that the operator of another vehicle was distracted and rammed the family’s vehicle from behind.
Since then, Kyle has adopted a kind of mantra, imploring people not to look down at their phones: “I ask my fellow brothers and sisters of this world, when you’re driving, don’t be nose-diving.”
Officials from the automobile group AAA are urging drivers to put their phones in Do Not Disturb mode while driving, and plan to roll out a multimedia campaign during April.
In 2024, the state recorded 135 traffic fatalities. An estimated 16% of all crashes are caused by distracted driving, according to state officials.
