“That text or call could end it all.”
That’s the message on a new billboard in Luverne that advertises the dangers of distracted driving.
“In reality, every crash is a distracted driving crash,” said Rock County Sheriff Evan Verbrugge. He said he hopes motorists get the message when they drive by the billboard on South Highway 75.
Verbrugge is pictured in the center of the billboard with his sheriff’s vehicle flanked on each side by local funeral home operators Jeff Hartquist and Dan Dingmann and their hearses.
Verbrugge said the idea for the billboard came from a distracted driving enforcement effort in a central Minnesota community in which hearses were used to pull over distracted drivers.
The billboard can be seen by southbound drivers on Highway 75 south of Interstate 90 across the road from Shopko.
It was initially displayed near the Ferrellgas property but was moved due to road construction.
The message will remain on the billboard for a month, and the $650 lease is paid for by the Rock County Sheriff’s Office.