AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is helping unveil a new program designed to prevent distracted driving on Maine roads.

The Republican governor, State Police Chief Col. Robert Williams and members of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety will announce the new effort on Tuesday in Augusta.

The Department of Public Safety says the program will include safety messages on large commercial trucks that travel on Maine roads.

The state says that more than 8,000 crashes and 12 deaths have been caused by distracted driving over the last three years.