COLORADO — To some, driving is impossible without a playlist of your favorite songs or podcasts to skip through because you're trying to find the “right one.” I remember when I was a kid, riding with my grandparents and listening to the same cassette tapes over and over again.

Fast forward to when I was a teenager, when the iPod was a staple with the AUX cord, and you had to pay for every single song, so you didn’t mind what was playing; you were just happy not to have to listen to your grandparents' music on repeat.

The point is, driving nowadays is full of different distractions. You’re not opening a cassette tape box or getting tangled up in an AUX cord; instead, you are messing with your phone, changing the music, or texting your “besty” and this causes you to take your eyes off the road for a fraction of time.

During that split second, you can be traveling hundreds of feet, depending on the speed, and if the car in front of you slams on the brakes, you’re going to be asking yourself, “Why didn’t I just let that song play?” instead of being able to stop safely.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. During the month, I challenge everyone to change their driving behavior by putting the phone down, letting the song play, and letting the text wait, because everyone wants to get to where they are going safely. Use the month to make safe driving a habit for you and the generation to come.

Author Trooper Hunter Mathews is a trooper with the Colorado State Patrol, currently assigned to the Public Affairs Unit. He began his career as a Trooper in Troop 3A - Greeley, before transferring to the Public Information Officer position in June 2025. Trooper Tips is a proactive monthly column intended to provide awareness and educational information to the public. These columns will highlight safety tips, changes to the law, or general information that can be important to roadway users' everyday lives.