As the 10th anniversary approaches, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Oklahoma Highway Safety Office invite all law enforcement agencies to participate in the Trooper Nick Dees Distracted Driving Enforcement Mobilization in honor of his life and sacrifice.

In the late evening hours of January 31, 2015, Trooper Nicholas Dees and Trooper Keith Burch were dispatched to investigate a collision involving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 40 in Seminole County near the Pottawatomie County line.

While both Troopers were standing outside their patrol units investigating the collision, a driver failed to yield to their warning lights, traveled into the collision scene, and struck both Troopers. Trooper Dees died instantly and Trooper Burch sustained serious injuries from the crash. The driver of the vehicle was convicted of manslaughter and is now out of prison and on probation. During the course of the investigation, phone records revealed the driver had been sending and receiving messages in the miles leading up to the crash.

As a result of this heinous incident, the “Trooper Nick Dees Law” went into effect on November 1, 2015. This law, Title 47-11-901d, states in part, “It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle on any street or highway within this state while using a handheld electronic communication device to manually compose, send or read an electronic text message while the motor vehicle is in motion.”

In honor of the sacrifice made by Troopers Dees and Burch, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol is joining forces with other law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma to put an end to distracted driving.

According to the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, there have been 204 persons killed in distracted-related crashes from 2017 to 2021.

Distracted driving crashes are 100 percent avoidable. It is the mission of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office that this enforcement and education campaign will help lower our number of distracted-related crashes in 2025.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol asks that your agency commit to stepping up distracted driving enforcement in January 2025. Consider joining the distracted driving enforcement mobilization in honor of Trooper Dees, which runs from Friday, January 17th to Friday, January 31st. With the participation of your agency, we can truly make an impact on the lives of all road users in Oklahoma. Agencies with a current grant from the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office are expected to participate. In February, we will ask that you to report the number of distracted driving contacts during the mobilization period.

REGISTER YOUR AGENCY

Stay safe out there. Thank you for keeping Oklahoma roadways safe. 

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