BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and the Louisiana State Police are teaming up to remind drivers to stay focused and buckle up behind the wheel.

The Buckle Up, Phone Down campaign is aimed at reducing deadly crashes caused by distractions and drivers not wearing seatbelts. Officials say those two factors contribute to hundreds of deaths on Louisiana roadways each year.

"Every year here in Louisiana, we have lost over 750 lives in fatal crashes," Glenn Ledet with DOTD said.

State Police say distracted driving, especially cell phone use, continues to be one of the biggest dangers on the road.

"The Buckle Up, Phone Down campaign is important because if anyone is just paying attention to any statistics, almost every single crash that we have is involving one of those factors,” Trooper Shelby Mayfield, PIO for Troop A in Baton Rouge, said. "The number one thing is the cellphone, and there are so many apps out there now that give people the opportunity to not use their cellphones whenever they’re out and driving, especially on our roadways."

DOTD and State Police are encouraging all drivers to take the pledge to buckle up and put their phones away before starting the car. Officials say those two simple choices can save lives.

The campaign will continue through the busy holiday travel season.