Distracted Driving Facts & Statistics
- In 2010, 3,092 people were killed in crashes involving driver distractions, and an estimated 416,000 were injured (NHTSA).
- 13% of fatalities caused by distracted-driving crashes in 2010 involved at least one driver using a cell phone (NHTSA).
- 18% of injury crashes in 2010 involved reports of distracted driving (NHTSA).
- In June 2012, more than 184 billion text messages were sent or received in the United States (CTIA).
- Teen drivers are more likely than other age groups to be involved in fatal crashes where distraction is reported. In 2010, 11% of drivers under 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted. 19% were distracted by the use of cell phones (NHTSA).
- 40% of all American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger (Pew).
- Drivers who use handheld devices are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves (Pew).
- Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times greater than driving while not distracted (VTTI).
- Sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent—at 55 mph—of driving the length of an entire football field blind (VTTI).
- Headset cell phone use is not substantially safer than handheld use (VTTI).
- Using a cell phone while driving—whether it's handheld or hands-free—delays a drivers reaction as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit (University of Utah).
- Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37% (Carnegie Mellon).
Note:
NHTSA is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
CTIA is The Wireless Association
VTTI is Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Carnegie Mellon is a university
Source: distraction.gov