YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - April is distracted driving awareness month, and while the month is about to come to a close, local agencies are still addressing the growing threat of distracted driving.

Local agencies like AAA, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and OSP troopers teamed up near I-80 in Youngstown Friday morning to highlight the importance of staying alert and avoiding distractions while driving.

AAA East Central's Director of Public Affairs, Jim Garrity urges drivers to take an extra few minutes to get everything set up on their phones before hitting the road like setting the GPS, picking what music to play and sending that last text message.

To add to this, construction season is right around the corner, meaning drivers should be extra alert to see which roads are blocked off, which lanes are restricted and if construction workers are in their path.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, in 2020 alone, there were over 3,000 people killed in distracted driving-related accidents. And just last year, the deaths on Ohio's roads were the highest since 2002.