April is National Distracted Driving Awareness month

(WJBK) - April is National Distracted Driving Awareness month. Michigan State Police and State Farm Insurance have kicked off a new safety initiative.

Officers say driving under the influence of technology is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.

In 2015, Michigan saw more than 7,000 motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. More than 3,400 people were injured -- and 26 were killed. Those numbers are up from 2014, in which 14 people were killed and 2,429 others were injured.

"Whenever I get a text, I always pass it off to the person in the passenger's seat, like, 'What'd they say? Type in this to them,'" Howell High School student Jordan Belanger suggests. He won a Michigan Distracted Driver Awareness billboard campaign. You'll see his billboard across the state of Michigan.

But don't look too long -- keep your eyes on the road.

The Traffic Improvement Association of Michigan has also sent recommendations to the Michigan legislature asking them to create a law to make Michigan a hands-free state.