Distracted driving has been a safety concern for as long as people have used motor vehicles. Conversations with others, tasks like eating and now digital devices all take someone’s attention away from road safety.
Many people feel as though distracted driving has become a more serious safety concern lately, and research shows that they are likely correct. More people have allowed their desire for distraction to overcome their better judgment in recent years, which has in turn led to a noticeable increase in the number of distraction-related collisions occurring annually.
What does the data show?
Overall, drivers seem to report using their phones more, with a noticeable increase in the last few years specifically. Young adults are among those most susceptible to the siren song of digital technology. Roughly 42% of teen drivers admit to texting or other manual phone use while driving. Adults may simply be less willing to admit they drive while distracted, but crash records don’t lie.
More than a quarter of collisions may involve distraction, and roughly eight people every day die in crashes caused by distraction. Motorists may spend as much as 10% of their drive time distracted by phones, which translates to a lot of preventable wrecks. When looking at phone use records and crash rates, researchers estimated that drivers in 2022 demonstrated 30% higher rates of distraction at the wheel when compared with the same month in 2020.
There is no safe way to text and drive
Neither talk-to-text software nor texting only when the vehicle stops are safe practices. Motorists that recognize that any form of distraction puts them at others at risk will have an easier time making appropriate, safety-conscious decisions. Those who understand how dangerous distraction is will have an easier time establishing what may have caused a crash. Perhaps someone witnessed the other driver yelling into their phone or staring down at their lap in the moments before the collision. Those that suspect distraction on the part of another motorist need to speak up so that police officers can look into those concerns.
Avoiding distractions can help people to mitigate the risk of being involved in a crash. When distracted driving accidents do occur, seeking legal guidance can help victims to pursue any and all compensation to which they may be rightfully entitled.
