NSP Urges Focus for Distracted Driving Awareness Month

APRIL 6, 2026 (LINCOLN, NEB.) —   During Distracted Driving Awareness Month, troopers are partnering with officers and deputies across the state to encourage safe driving in Nebraska.

The Put the Phone Away or Pay national campaign is organized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with local partnership from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.

“Distracted driving can have tragic consequences,” said Colonel Bryan Waugh, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “While distractions aren’t limited to your phone, phones are the prime contributor to distracted driving crashes. Keep yourself and others safe on the road. Put the phone down and keep your focus on the road.”

Crash data from the Nebraska Department of Transportation shows that phone use accounted for over 60% of distracted driving crashes in 2024. Nearly 1,000 crashes in Nebraska that year involved a driver distracted by a phone.

Put the Phone Away or Pay runs from April 9 through April 13. This effort is made possible in part thanks to grant funding from the NDOT – Highway Safety Office.