As part of their response to a yearslong rise in highway deaths, national and state organizations are taking aim at distracted driving, hoping to reduce what one official called “a plague on our roads.”

Distracted driving, which literally means anything that takes a driver’s attention away from the road, can range from talking or texting on the phone to head-banging to music on the car radio, goofing around with friends, eating, using headphones or applying makeup…

As a result, organizations are stepping up efforts to encourage drivers to keep their attention on the road with a special emphasis during April, which is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

For example, the Governors Highway Safety Association announced it is teaming with General Motors on what it calls “an action-oriented, recommendation-rich report” to teach drivers not to distract themselves. Once the report is issued this summer, the association will offer competitive grants to State Highway Safety Offices to implement programs.