From April 10 through April 23, the Austin Police Department and Mower County Sheriff’s Department will join more than 300 law enforcement agencies in a campaign to reduce distracted driving.

“We will be dedicating 18 overtime hours over the next two weeks,” said Austin Police Capt. Dave McKichan. “These officers will be tasked with focusing on finding distracted drivers, particularly those using cell phones.”

The campaign, meant to bring awareness to the dangers of distracted driving, was coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety with overtime funding provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From 2011-15, distracted driving caused more than 86,000 crashes and killed an average of 65 people per year. Thousands more suffered injuries, including an average of 215 life-changing injuries per year.

It is illegal for a licensed driver to compose, read or send texts or access the internet while driving a vehicle in Minnesota. Drivers with permits or provisional driver’s licenses are not allowed to use a cell phone for anything other than emergency purposes.

McKichan said that cell phone use is the most common form of driving distraction he sees.

“Other things like eating or playing with the radio can be distractions, but cell phone use is a growing problem,” he said. “We’re seeing quite a few accidents that we know are linked to cell phone use.”

In 2016, Minnesota law enforcement issued 5,988 citations for texting while driving, up from 4,115 in 2015. A citation carries a fine of $50 plus court expenses for the first offense, then $275 plus court expenses for each additional citation.

Even so, McKichan says the number of citations is not indicative of how many people are doing it, as it is difficult to spot drivers doing it.

“You have to see it to stop them and cite them,” McKichan said.

McKichan has advice for how not to drive distracted.

“Turn your cell phone off or down,” he said. “Don’t access it when driving. If you’re a parent, be a model for your kids. We don’t want you to do this at anytime of year.”

McKichan said he hopes the officers will not have to issue any citations in Austin.

“If we’re out there trying our best to find distracted drivers, and we can’t find any, that’s a success for us,” he said. “Our preference would be that no one does it, because that way we’re all safer.”