NEBRASKA CITY- The Otoe County Sheriff’s Office is participating in the “put the phone away or pay” enforcement campaign April 7 to 14.

The sheriff’s office is planning high visibility patrols and saturation patrols with emphasis on the use of cellular devices while driving.

Sheriff Colin Caudill says both sending and reading texts are an alarming distraction.  In the five seconds it takes, a driver going 55 mph will travel the length of a football field.

Nebraska reports over 3,000 crashes in 2022 linked to distracted driving and an increase of 220 incidents in 2023.

The sheriff’s office says about 10 percent of all drivers are distracted while driving.

In other enforcement news, a Nebraska Highway Safety Office grant is providing six hand-held alcohol breath testing units to the Otoe County Sheriff’s Office.

William Kovarik of the Nebraska Department of Transportation said the equipment allows deputies to test in the field to begin investigations.

He said the grants are part of a statewide initiative to decrease the number of roadway crashes, fatalities and injuries.