More than 150 agencies in the state are now watching to see if you're talking or texting and driving. April is distracted driving awareness month and Yakima Police are conducting extra patrols to keep drivers safe. While officers are looking for drivers who love cell phones drivers can be distracted by things like eating food or applying makeup.

YAKIMA POLICE HAVE A WARNING ON FACEBOOK

Officers from police departments around the state say they see the violations every day in Yakima and other parts of Washington. A message on Facebook by the Yakima Police Department says "remember Yakima...Focused driving is safe driving."
The Facebook post also says the number one thing drivers can do to remain safe on the road is "put the phone away while driving. Help others do the same if you are a passenger."

DISTRACTED DRIVING IS INCREASING NOT DECREASING IN THE STATE

A new state report shows distracted driving has increased in Washington. The report from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission says distracted driving has increased since 2021. The survey shows distracted driving was just over nine-percent in 2022, up over two percentage points from 2021 when the rate was nearly seven-percent.
The commission also found that distracted driving occurs more often on city streets and less on highways.
Yakima Police say any activity that diverts attention from driving is considered distracted driving.

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READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

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