April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA’s 2025 campaign is “Put away the phone or pay.” Every driver should heed this statement to keep themselves, their families, and their neighbors safe on the road. To make it even easier on you as a driver, we suggest one more step: Silence notifications on your smartphone. Learn how to do that below.

Do you know what counts as distracted driving? According to NHTSA, “distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system.” NHTSA statistics show that distracted driving is a nationwide concern: the agency estimates that distracted driving caused 3,275 fatalities in 2023.

Though it is challenging to track distracted driving habits in San José, it is a top safety concern for the Department of Transportation (DOT). Distracted driving is also listed as a top traffic safety concern in a recent survey and focus groups made up of San José drivers. 44% of participants agreed that it was a "very big problem."

Types of Distractions and Pointers to Avoid Distracted Driving

You might think that distracted driving only refers to looking away from the road, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identify three types of distraction:

1. Visual: taking your eyes off the road
2. Manual: taking your eyes off the wheel
3. Cognitive: taking your mind off driving

Cell phone use causes all three types of these distractions. Even hands-free phones are still a distraction since your mind is not fully on the road. The National Safety Council’s research has concluded that, “even when talking hands-free, drivers can miss seeing up to half of what's around them because they are engaged in a cell phone conversation.”

We strongly urge you to mute notifications on your phone and in-car infotainment screen, put your phones away, and keep your eyes on the road. If you must send a text or make a call, please pull over to safely use your phone. To learn how you can mute your notifications, please visit:

• bit.ly/mute-apple (for Apple iPhones and devices)
• bit.ly/mute-android (for Android phones)
• bit.ly/mute-carplay (for Apple CarPlay)

What We Are Doing to Protect Against Distracted Driving in San José

To help raise awareness around distracted driving, we are placing several electronic message boards across San José throughout the month of April. These boards display messages remind drivers to keep their eyes on the road. You can find them at the following locations and on the following dates with possible police presence. Please note that these locations and dates are subject to change:

• March 31 to April 6: Blossom Hill Road, Branham Lane, and Hillsdale Avenue
• April 14 to April 20: Tully Road, Story Road, McLaughlin Avenue, and Quimby Road
• April 28 to May 4: Alum Rock Avenue, McKee Road, Camden Avenue, Leigh Avenue, and The Alameda