While North Carolina has a dynamic community of issue-specific transportation safety advocates, what was missing was one organization with expertise in conducting high-impact public communications efforts, providing effective grassroots and grasstops citizen engagement, and serving to champion public policies that promote better behaviors to combat perils to safety across all forms and manner of transportation.

The North Carolina Alliance for Safe Transportation (NCAST) was created to be that organization, with one goal in mind: reduce the number of transportation-related crashes, injuries and fatalities in North Carolina.

A major focus of NCAST is promoting awareness of safety issues specific to younger motorists.

Teen drivers are especially at risk on the roads, with vehicle crashes the leading cause of death in America among those under 21.

The inexperience and impulsiveness of teen drivers is a significant reason for their high crash rates, making important the safety features of the vehicles they drive as well as getting plenty of supervised driving practice.

DISTRACTED DRIVING AWARENESS MONTH &
NC HANDS-FREE LEGISLATION

Distracted driving is a deadly epidemic on our roads, and holding a mobile device in your hand while driving is a very dangerous form of distraction. April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, so it’s a great time to assess your driving behaviors and take responsibility for the choices you make when behind the wheel.

NHTSA’s Put the Phone Away or Pay campaign reminds drivers of the deadly dangers and legal consequences – including fines – of texting and other forms of messaging while driving. From April 10-14, you’ll see an increase in police enforcing of distracted-driving laws.

This year, North Carolinians like you can support passage of a hands-free driving law by the NC General Assembly and making our roads safer. Texting and e-mailing behind the wheel is already prohibited in our state— a hands-free driving law simply means you can’t hold the device in your hand while driving.

Hands-free driving legislation has been introduced in the state legislature every year since 2009—29 other states and the District of Columbia already have a hands-free law on the books, and public opinion research shows North Carolinians overwhelmingly support making it the law here.

Let’s get it done in 2025! Visit our site at HandsFreeNC.org for information on how to contact state lawmakers and tell them to vote “YES” on Senate Bill 526 The Hands-Free NC Act.

LINKS & RESOURCES