In 2019, distracted drivers killed 3,142 people. It's a horrible number, and totally preventable. When you're driving a car, you have one job: paying attention to the road and ensuring that you, your passengers, and all your fellow humans get home safely instead of dying in a senseless crash because you were distracted.
What is distracted driving?
Driving requires your full attention on the road, and anything less is dangerous and a crash risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists three main types of distracted driving: [1]
Cognitive: If you aren’t focusing your mind on driving, you are experiencing cognitive distraction and are risking a distracted driving crash. Daydreaming, spacing out, talking on the phone, recording a podcast— these count.
Manual: Manually distracted drivers take their hands off the wheel to reach for something. Messing with the controls, grabbing your coffee, reaching for your phone in the passenger seat.
Visual: Looking somewhere other than at the road is a visual distraction. Cell phone use is the big one here.
What causes distracted driving?
Phone use is a leading cause of distracted driving, but phones aren’t the only culprits.
7.9%: Approximate percent of drivers were using a cell phone, either handheld or hands-free, at a typical moment during the day in 2020. [2]
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lists several additional common causes of distracted driving: [3]
Reaching for a moving object
Insect inside the car
Looking at something outside of the car
Reading
Putting on makeup
Dialing a phone
Eating
Adjusting the radio
Passengers in the adjacent or rear seat
Who causes the most distracted driving fatalities?
Anyone can take their eyes and minds off the roads, but some age groups cause more fatal distraction affected crashes than others.
Distracted drivers involved in a fatal crash by age group
Age group | Percentage of all drivers involved in fatal crashes | Percentage of all distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes | Percentage of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in this age group who were distracted |
|---|---|---|---|
15-20 | 8% | 11% | 9% |
21-24 | 9% | 10% | 6% |
25-34 | 21% | 23% | 7% |
35-44 | 16% | 18% | 6% |
45-54 | 15% | 13% | 5% |
55-64 | 14% | 10% | 4% |
65-74 | 9% | 7% | 5% |
75+ | 6% | 6% | 6% |
Table data: NHTSA [4]
Distracted teen drivers
Teens are notorious for driving while distracted, and unfortunately they are often involved in distracted driving accidents.
9%: Share of teen drivers olds who were distracted at the time they involved in fatal crashes, the highest of any age group. [5]
11%: Share of all distracted drivers of fatal crashes who were 15-20 years old. [6]
8%: Share of all drivers of fatal crashes who were 15-20 years old. [7]
17%: Share of all teen drivers involved in a fatal car crash who were using a cell phone. [8]
39% of high school students have reported texting or emailing while driving. [9]
How many accidents and fatalities are related to distracted driving?
In 2019, 15% of all motor vehicle crashes reported to the police involved a distracted driver. [10]
In 2019, 3,142 people died in accidents that involved at least one distracted driver. [11]
Distracted driving can also be deadly for pedestrians, cyclists, and other people who aren’t in a car. In 2019, distracted driving crashes resulted in the deaths of 566 bystanders. [12]
Laws against distracted driving
Just like states have laws against drunk driving in order save lives, most states have distracted driving laws: [13]
All states except Texas and Missouri have laws that prohibit texting and driving.
A total of 24 states and Washington, D.C. have laws against handheld cell phone use while driving.
Novice drivers are not allowed any form of cell phone use in 37 states and Washington, D.C.
Distracted driving and car insurance
Car insurance premiums have risen 16% since 2011, a rate that correlates with the increase in distracted driving accidents. [14]
Your driving history plays a big role in determining your car insurance premiums. If you receive a ticket related to distracted driving, you can expect to see your auto insurance rate go up. Read more about texting and driving laws and how breaking them could affect your insurance.
