CDOT Encourages Coloradans to Get Turned On for Distracted Driving Awareness Month

For April Distracted Driving Awareness Month, CDOT continued the “Get Turned On” campaign to encourage motorists to turn on the “Do Not Disturb While Driving” mode on their cellular device. On iOS devices, this is a built-in feature which silences incoming messages when engaged, connected to a vehicle Bluetooth or when the device can detect the car is in motion. The phone will automatically reply to text messages with a pre-set message notifying them that the owner of the phone is driving. This auto-reply message can be customized ahead of time, and provides the user the opportunity to be creative with their reply.

To help motorists come up with their own unique auto-reply, CDOT launched an auto-reply generator on the distracted driving webpage. On this page, drivers can choose from a variety of topics and interests to get their own customized auto-reply. For instance, a teenager with a “fresh attitude” might select an auto-reply directed at their worried parent: “Can't talk, I'm turned on. (Relax mom, I mean I have Do Not Disturb While Driving turned on.) I'll reply when I'm off the road.”

Once an auto-reply has been selected from the generator, the user has the opportunity to customize the reply before texting it to themselves to be easily added to their own auto-reply setting.

In addition to the auto-reply generator, CDOT also partnered with local media personalities Kathy Sabine and Jayson Luber to create their own auto-replies in support of the campaign. Their custom replies reflect their own experiences with distracted driving and motivations to stay safe and focused on the road whenever they are behind the wheel.

Learn more and find your auto-reply at distracted.codot.gov.