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 received 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 205 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 2024.
This is where you and your agency come in. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol needs your help to eliminate distracted driving in every corner of Oklahoma. With the participation of your agency, we can truly make an impact on the lives of all road users in Oklahoma. If your agency has a current grant with the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, contact your program manager to see if your grant funds can be used to participate in this campaign.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol asks that your agency commit to stepping up distracted driving enforcement in January 2024. Consider joining the distracted driving enforcement mobilization in honor of Trooper Dees, which runs from Wednesday, January 17th to Wednesday, January 31st. In February, we will ask that you send us information on how many citations were issued for distracted driving in January.
On January 31, we ask that you take a moment to remember the life of Trooper Nicholas Dees. A life taken entirely too soon.
Stay safe out there.
UPDATE: The mobilization period has come to a close. Agencies that participated may report their numbers here.
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