This week’s Arizona Distracted Driving Summit couldn’t have come at a more pressing time for law enforcement and the continued debate about whether to outlaw the use of mobile devices while driving across Arizona.

On the evening on Jan. 8, a Salt River police officer was struck and killed by a vehicle whose driver was allegedly texting.

The Jan. 23 summit brings together citizens, law enforcement agencies, legislators and elected officials, and other state and national organizations to focus on how the state can reduce and eliminate the growing crisis of distracted driving in communities and on roadways.

IF YOU GO

What: Arizona Distracted Driving Summit

When: 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23

Where: Wesly Bolin Plaza, 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix

Extra: Free parking in plaza parking lot

According to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s 2017 Crash Facts Report, distracted driving takes part in a small percentage of collisions given officials knew whether it was a factor. For nearly 20 percent of drivers involved in crashes, it is unknown if they were distracted.

However, 76.4 percent were not distracted, meaning less than 5 percent of drivers involved in crashes were distracted.

The summit will also facilitate group discussions and presentations following a morning introduction and a keynote speaker. The lunch Key Note may include a special guest or panel discussions focused on education. A closing panel discussion will focus on engagement and cooperation between citizens and governmental officials.

Education sessions/discussions will include corporate policies, driver education, incident research, state and municipal ordinances.New in 2019, to encourage professional participation in the summit, facilitators will work to provide continuing education credits (CEUs) which will allow professionals to attend the summit while also earning professional education.

The continuing theme of the Summit as in previous year’s will focus on three major areas: Education, Enforcement, & Engagement.Free “box lunches” for the first 500 attendees will be served at 11 a.m. and a light continental-style breakfast for event sponsors and early arrivals start at 8 a.m. while supplies last.

A statewide distracted-driving law is being sought in wake of Mr. Townsend’s death, with Representative John Kavanagh introducing a bill last week.

Arizona cities, to include Surprise, Glendale, El Mirage, Phoenix and Flagstaff, have some form of distracted-driving law already in place.

Arizona Sen. Kate Brophy McGee recently said she hopes a hands-free bill can be launched by Wednesday, the same day as the summit.

Arizona was listed as the third state in the U.S. with the least-skilled drivers, according to a study by YourMechanic Inc.

The study considered factors such as percentage of fatalities involving high speeds (Arizona was No. 2 among the Top 10) and percentage of fatalities involving a drunk driver (No. 7 among the Top 10).

Arizona was also found to have the 10th most aggressive drivers, with an aggressive driving event happening every 9.4 minutes.

Despite the unskilled and aggressive driving rankings, Arizona ranks No. 29 in most dangerous states to drive in.