 Well, you might see additional police cars on the road the next few weeks as the extra distracted driving enforcement is now underway. Sarah Winkleman talked with the Brainerd Police Department today on their efforts to reduce distracted driving. The Brainerd Police Department is just one of over 300 agencies across the state of Minnesota participating in the 2018 Distracted Driving Campaign. Whether it's your phone, whether it's reaching over to grab something, changing the radio station, maybe yelling at a kid in the back seat. According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, distracted driving contributes to one in every five crashes in Minnesota. It's everybody that's doing it, male, female, old and young, so it's a huge epidemic right now. It is illegal to use your phone for texting or other internet purposes while driving and even includes while sitting at a traffic light. People think, oh, I've got a few seconds to hear the ding. The brain has been studied. We know that we're going to be drawn to learn what that is. It's a habit. It's almost an addiction. But even though illegal. It's very difficult for us to enforce because it's hard to prove. Even if the officer sees the driver with their phone in hand. And just because they have their phone up doesn't necessarily right there give us the right to come and talk to them. There has to be some driving conduct. But officials are out in full swing patrolling areas like Highway 210 for distracted drivers. We just want to make sure you pay attention to the road. Okay, were you on your phone? Even if issued a citation, officials are counting on the public to stop distracted driving. Turn the notifications off on your phone. If you don't hear that ding, that dopamine doesn't dump into the brain and we're not going to be looking for what that was. A small step to potentially stop a devastating crash. You see the impact it has on the families and just the heartache that comes with it. So think twice before checking Facebook, texting or anything other than the road ahead. Reporting in Brainerd, Sarah Winkelman, Lakeland News. The extra patrols will continue to take place across the state until April 22nd. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.