Fairfax County police start distracted driving training (Videos)

WASHINGTON — April is distracted driving month and the Fairfax County Police Department held it’s first-ever distracted driver training session for officers.

The special class will teach FCPD officers aboutlegal challenges, psychology, enforcement and distracted driving trends.

In Fairfax County, distracted driving caused 1,060 crashes in 2011, 1,128 in 2012 and 1,175 in 2013.

The top five locations for crashes involving distracted drivers in 2013 were:

  • Colvin Run Road/Leesburg Pike
  • Georgetown Pike/Leesburg Pike
  • Leesburg Pike/Lewinsville Road
  • Fairfax County Parkway/Sunrise Valley Drive
  • Franconia Road/South Van Dorn Street.

FCPD urges drivers to:

  • Stop using cell phones while driving
  • Understand the dangers of the cognitive distraction to the brain
  • Tell others about the dangers of cell phone distracted driving

Watch a simulation of distracted driving at 50 mph

WTOP’s Jamie Forzato contributed to this report.

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