Distracted driving problem in Houston at center of new documentary

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The 23-minute documentary "Sidetracked" premiered on Thursday in front of Houston City Hall with an important message to all drivers that distracted driving can be deadly.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the film, which was shot in Houston, shares heartbreaking stories of families who lost loved ones to distracted driving crashes.

"Every year on March 20, it's a reminder," said Dr. Toron Wooldridge. "We lost two young ladies that were very talented."

Wooldridge lost his sisters, ages 19 and 17, in a deadly crash back in 2016.

Brianna and Jade Robinson were driving back to Houston from a spring break vacation when their driver, distracted by a GPS, crashed into a tractor-trailer near Corpus Christi.

"They had so much potential. One wanted to become an educator and the other a veterinarian," he said.

Their lives, along with several others, are remembered in a new documentary, which was a collaboration between AAA, the Houston Police Department and the Houston Police Foundation.

Last year, the Texas Department of Transportation reported that 431 lives were lost due to crashes involving distracted drivers.

"That was a 17% increase from 2020 and a 14% increase from 2019," said Daniel Armbruster, a spokesperson for AAA Texas.

Visit AAA.com to view the entire documentary.

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