Red Bank shares efforts to curb distracted driving

Sgt. Rusty Aalberg stands next to the logo for Red Bank Police Department's new distracted driving prevention program. The logo was created by Red Bank High School student Mya Kennebrew, who won the design contest orchestrated by officers and the school's art teacher. Mya will be awarded with a plaque for her design work at an upcoming Red Bank Chamber of Commerce meeting. (Staff photo by Myron Madden)
Sgt. Rusty Aalberg stands next to the logo for Red Bank Police Department's new distracted driving prevention program. The logo was created by Red Bank High School student Mya Kennebrew, who won the design contest orchestrated by officers and the school's art teacher. Mya will be awarded with a plaque for her design work at an upcoming Red Bank Chamber of Commerce meeting. (Staff photo by Myron Madden)

Late last month, Red Bank Police Sgt. Rusty Aalberg spoke to Hamilton County's Advisory Council on Traffic Safety about an issue that has touched families in every part of the Chattanooga area: distracted driving.

Each year, distracted driving causes about a quarter of all car accidents in the United States, the National Safety Council reports. In 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed and another 391,000 were injured in distraction-related crashes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed.

Aalberg's presentation was part of the Red Bank Police Department's new distracted driving prevention program, which Aalberg started in February after receiving a grant from the Tennessee Highway Safety Office.

While texting is often the culprit in distracted driving incidents, he reminded ACTS meeting attendees that cellphones aren't the only danger. Any activity that takes commuters' attention away from the act of driving is considered a distraction, Aalberg said. That includes eating or drinking, applying make-up, or adjusting on-board entertainment systems like the radio while behind the wheel.

photo Sgt. Rusty Aalberg stands next to the logo for Red Bank Police Department's new distracted driving prevention program. The logo was created by Red Bank High School student Mya Kennebrew, who won the design contest orchestrated by officers and the school's art teacher. Mya will be awarded with a plaque for her design work at an upcoming Red Bank Chamber of Commerce meeting. (Staff photo by Myron Madden)

"I see it every day," said ACTS Chairman Chester Bankston, who also represents District 9 on the Hamilton County Commission. "It's not just a few people; it's all of us. We need to really look at what we're doing when we're driving a motor vehicle that could kill somebody instantly. We need to do better."

Aalberg applied for the Governor's Highway Safety Office Grant in 2016 after examining Red Bank police records and realizing that of the 495 crashes the department investigated that year, at least 41 of them - or nearly 10 percent - were distraction-related, a trend he later found had been consistent over the last few years.

"Right now, that far outweighs how many crashes we have related to alcohol and drugs and that's just what we do know," Aalberg said. "Typically, it's going to be much higher than that because not everyone's going to tell us they were not paying attention to the roadway."

The program he spearheaded focuses on enforcement and education. With money from the grant, the department funds the overtime for officers on patrol for distracted drivers. Sometimes, the officers watch from nondescript vans or other undercover positions to stop those texting or otherwise distracted, though not everyone pulled over gets a citation.

"You may get a lecture. You may get some pamphlets," Aalberg said. "It's not the police department trying to get in people's pockets. We're trying to educate people and keep people safe on these roadways, because there are too many people dying in distraction-related crashes."

And the program extends beyond Red Bank. In addition to Red Bank High School, Aalberg has made education presentations similar to the one he gave at ACTS to young people at Baylor School and the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Ocoee Region.

Though the presentation is geared toward high school students, Aalberg said it is just as important for adults, and a representative from Kenco Transportation expressed interest in having him speak to its truck drivers at an upcoming safety meeting.

"I think it's a great program that he's got started," said Bankston. "I would like to see our Sheriff's Department do something like that and make everybody aware of how bad distracted driving is."

Since beginning the program, Aalberg said he has seen the number of distraction-related accidents in Red Bank slide "just a shade lower," but added that he won't know its true impact until the final numbers are released later this year.

Still, Aalberg said he has seen fewer drivers texting while on the road, which he hopes is a result of the growing awareness of its dangers.

"If, through our educational efforts and through our enforcement efforts, we save or modify one person's driving behavior or save one life, then we've won," Aalberg said. "In the end, that's what it's all about: saving lives, making sure people are safe on the roadways."

Aalberg said he is willing to make presentations in schools, companies, churches and communities all throughout the Chattanooga area. Contact him at 875-0167, ext. 2104.

Upcoming Events