The temptation is there every time Stratford students Matt Moore and Shelby Bandt get behind the wheel of their cars.

“I am tempted all the time because of my phone and sometimes I’m driving next to some I know and I look over,’’ Matt said.

This is National Distracted Drivers Awareness Month.

Officers in Georgia are cracking down on distracted drivers. The month of October has been designated to be a month of distracted driver awareness. Typically this is observed in April but was postponed this year due to the coronavirus outbreak that began in March.

Distracted driving crashes have risen by more than 400 percent in the last decade, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Cell Phones are one of the biggest distractions when it comes to driving and Georgia passed the “Hands- Free” Law on July 1, 2018, telling drivers to not check their phones while driving. While the law has helped save lives, cell phones are still being used while driving.

Distracted driving is considered any action that can impair your driving abilities. There are many actions that can be considered distracted driving including texting, checking the radio, and much more.

Eating, talking, even applying makeup can also all be distractions for drivers while they are behind the wheel. It is important to stay focused while driving because staying focused on the road can save lives.

Shelby said there is temptation to play music while she is driving but having bluetooth helps her keep her hands on the steering wheel. “I have bluetooth in my car though so I can play music and answer calls through that,’’ she said,

Coach Miles Pippin, the driver’s education instructor at Stratford, said that in the classes he teaches they do have an emphasis on not using your phones while driving. Though he did not know this month was Distracted Driver Awareness month, he did have some things to say about the hands-free law.

Coach Pippin says that he believes the hands-free law is good to have and has a good intent, it is just hard to enforce it. He hopes that people will slowly begin to feel less compelled to use their phones when driving.