Rice & Kendig warns drivers about distraction risks in Northwest Louisiana

Rice & Kendig Injury Lawyers is using National Distracted Driving Awareness Month to push safe-driving habits across Northwest Louisiana, citing national crash data and simple prevention steps. The campaign comes as the firm says distracted driving remains a major threat on Louisiana roads and especially for young drivers. Why it matters: - Distracted driving kills more than 3,000 people a year in the U.S., according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data. - A five-second glance at a phone at 55 mph can carry a driver the length of a football field without looking at the road. - Rice & Kendig Injury Lawyers says the goal is to reduce preventable crashes in Shreveport-Bossier and across Caddo Parish. What happened: - Rice & Kendig Injury Lawyers launched a community safety push for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April. - The Shreveport-based firm is urging Northwest Louisiana motorists to focus on phone-free, distraction-free driving. - J. Marshall Rice, managing partner of Rice & Kendig and 2026 president of the Shreveport Bar Association, said the firm wants to move beyond legal advocacy and emphasize prevention. The details: - The campaign breaks distraction into three categories: visual, manual and cognitive. - Visual distraction means taking eyes off the road, such as checking a GPS or text. - Manual distraction means taking hands off the wheel, such as reaching for a phone, eating or adjusting controls. - Cognitive distraction means losing focus on driving, such as daydreaming or deep conversation. - The firm recommends using a phone’s “Do Not Disturb” feature while driving. - The firm also recommends assigning a passenger as a designated texter and navigator. - Drivers are being told to secure pets, bags and food before starting the vehicle. - Parents of teen drivers are being urged to model focused driving behavior. - NHTSA says drivers under 20 have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. Between the lines: - The firm is pairing a public-safety message with its personal-injury identity, which helps position Rice & Kendig as both a legal advocate and a local safety voice. - The emphasis on teen drivers suggests the campaign is aimed at changing habits early, not just warning after crashes happen. - Rice’s remarks frame distracted driving as a culture problem, not just a technology problem. What’s next: - Rice & Kendig says the safety message will continue through April and beyond. - The firm is encouraging local drivers to adopt its “Focused Driver” habits on an ongoing basis. - Rice & Kendig will likely keep tying the campaign to its broader outreach in Northwest Louisiana. The bottom line: - The message is simple: one phone glance can be enough to cause a fatal crash, and the firm wants drivers in Northwest Louisiana to treat distraction as a preventable threat.