RICHMOND—Advertising in the 1950s promoted doctor recommendations for cigarette brands. But sentiments changed. Now smoking is at an all-time low, linked to numerous negative health outcomes.

Distracted driving activities, like using a smartphone behind the wheel, should be talked about and treated as an addictive behavior—just like smoking, said Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Gerald F. Lackey.

“We’re starting to realize we’re having a major epidemic with distracted driving, and it’s killing people,” he said.

Traffic safety leaders discussed strategies for changing motorist behavior at Drive Smart Virginia’s 11th Annual Distracted Driving Summit. Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. is a summit sponsor.

Reframing public attitudes toward motorist and pedestrian distraction is a first step.

“Think about the progress we made with seat belt usage,” said Rick Birt, director of the Washington, D.C. Highway Safety Office. “We started out with no seat belts. Now, over 90% of individuals changed their behavior, and are buckling up.”

Birt said Americans should start thinking about distracted driving as a public health crisis that requires an all-hands-on-deck response. “What are the values of our community around distracted mobility?” he asked.

Distracted driving accounts for about 17% of all traffic crashes in the state, according to Virginia Crash Facts. Sixty-one fatalities and 7,200 injuries resulted from 21,528 distracted driving crashes in 2023.

Lackey quoted University of Utah research that says motorists who talk on hand-held cell phones are as impaired as drivers with a .08 blood-alcohol content, which is the minimum level that defines drunk driving in most U.S. states.

“We create diversion programs with other addictive behaviors,” he continued. “But I have not seen one that does it with distracted driving—engaging it as an addiction and taking you through a process to understand that and put you back in control.”

Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Gary T. Settle shared a new tactic to promote highway safety called Operation DISS-rupt. First implemented in 2023, it focuses on the four key causes of fatal and serious injury crashes in problem areas across Virginia’s interstate system.

Operation DISS-rupt stands for Distracted Driving, Impaired Driving, Speed Compliance and Seat belt Safety.

“The operation’s goal is to achieve zero fatal crashes during designated enforcement periods and to reduce the total number of crashes on our interstates for the calendar year by 10%,” Settle continued. “I’m proud to say since initiating our first operation last winter on Interstate 81, we had zero deaths and saw decreases in overall crashes during those enforcement periods.”

Operation DISS-rupt continues to be successfully conducted on Interstates 64, 66 and 95.

Media: Contact Birt at 202-715-2843; Jillian Cowherd, DMV, at 804-367-6606; Matthew Demlein, VSP, at 804-839-1508; or Rich Jacobs, DSV, at 804-929-2988.