TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTS
Research Note

DOT HS 812 926

Summary of Statistical Findings

April 2020

Distracted Driving 2018
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) works to reduce the occurrence of distracted driving and raise awareness of its dangers. This risky behavior
poses a danger to vehicle occupants as well as pedestrians
and pedalcyclists. Driver distraction is a specific type ofdriver inattention. Distraction occurs when drivers divert
their attention from the driving task to focus on some otheractivity. Often discussions regarding distracted driving center around cell phone use and texting, but distracted driving also includes other activities such as eating, talking toother passengers, or adjusting the radio or climate controls. A
distraction-affected crash is any crash in which a driver was
identified as distracted at the time of the crash.
■ Eight percent of fatal crashes, 15 percent of injury crashes,and 14 percent of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2018 were reported as distraction-affectedcrashes.
■ In 2018 there were 2,841 people killed and an estimatedadditional 400,000 people injured in motor vehicle crashes
involving distracted drivers.
■ Five percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes werereported as distracted at the time of the crashes. Eight percent of drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in fatal crashes
were reported as distracted. This age group has the largest
proportion of drivers who were distracted at the time of thefatal crashes.
■ In 2018 there were 506 nonoccupants (pedestrians, pedal-

cyclists, and others) killed in distraction-affected crashes.

Methodology
This research note contains information on fatal motor vehicle
crashes and fatalities based on data from the Fatality Analysis
Reporting System (FARS). Refer to the end of this report for
more information on FARS. This research note also contains
injury and property-damage-only crash estimates. These estimates are based on data obtained from a nationally representative sample of police-reported crashes from the General
Estimates System and the Crash Report Sampling System.
The methodology for estimating people injured has changed.
For more information, read Crash Report Sampling System
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis(CRSS) Replaced the National Automotive Sampling
System (NASS) General Estimates System (GES) at the endof this report. Take caution that GES estimates and CRSS estimates are not comparable due to different sampling designs.
The national estimates produced from GES and CRSS data
are subject to sampling errors. The NASS GES Analytic User’s
Manual 1988–2015 (Report No. DOT HS 812 320) and the CRSS
Analytic User’s Manual 2016–2018 (Report No. DOT HS 812
846) contain information on sampling errors.
As defined in the Overview of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration’s Driver Distraction Program (Report No. DOT
HS 811 299), distraction is a specific type of inattention that
occurs when drivers divert their attention from the driving
task to focus on some other activity instead. The document
describes distraction as a subset of inattention (which also
includes fatigue, and physical and emotional conditions of
the driver). However, while NHTSA may define the terms inthis manner, inattention and distraction are often used interchangeably or simultaneously in other material, including
police crash reports. It is important that NHTSA and NHTSA’s
data users be aware of these differences in definitions. It isalso important to acknowledge the inherent limitations in thedata collection for distraction-affected crashes and the resulting injuries and fatalities. The appendix of this document contains a table that describes the coding for distraction-affectedcrashes for FARS, GES, and CRSS, and a discussion regarding
limitations in the distracted driving data.

Data
Fatalities in Distraction-Affected Crashes
In 2018 there were 33,654 fatal crashes in the United States
involving 51,490 drivers. As a result of those fatal crashes,
36,560 people were killed.
There were 2,628 fatal crashes that occurred on U.S. roadways
in 2018 that involved distraction (8% of all fatal crashes). These
crashes involved 2,688 distracted drivers, since some crashes
involved more than one distracted driver. Distraction wasreported for 5 percent (2,688 of 51,490) of the drivers involvedin fatal crashes. In these distraction-affected crashes, 2,841
fatalities (8% of overall fatalities) occurred. Table 1 provides
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information on crashes, drivers, and fatalities involved in­distraction-affected crashes in 2018.
Much attention across the country has been focused on thedangers of using cell phones and other electronic devices
while driving. In 2018 there were 349 fatal crashes reported tohave involved cell phone use as a distraction (13% of all fatal

distraction-affected crashes). For these distraction-affectedcrashes, the police crash report stated that the driver wastalking on, listening to, or engaged in some other cell phone
activity at the time of the crash. A total of 385 people diedin fatal crashes that involved cell-phone-related activities as
distractions.

Table 1

Fatal Crashes, Drivers in Fatal Crashes, and Fatalities in Distraction-Affected Crashes, and Cell Phone Use by Distracted
Drivers, 2018
Distraction-Affected (D-A)

Cell Phone in Use

Total

Number

Percentage of Total

Number

Percentage of D-A

Crashes

33,654

2,628

8%

349

13%

Drivers

51,490

2,688

5%

354

13%

Fatalities

36,560

2,841

8%

385

14%

Source: FARS 2018 Annual Report File (ARF)

Table 2 presents data on drivers involved in fatal crashes in2018 by age group. Eight percent (237 of 3,070) of drivers 15 to
19 years old involved in fatal crashes were distracted at thetime of the crashes. This age group has the largest proportionof drivers within each respective age group who were distracted (column titled “Distracted Drivers: Percentage of Total
Drivers in This Age Group”).

Table 2

Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes, by Age Group, Distraction, and Cell Phone Use, 2018
Total Drivers

Distracted Drivers

Drivers Using Cell Phones

Age
Group

Number

Percentage ofPercentage of Total
Percentage of All
Total Drivers Number Drivers in This Age Group Distracted Drivers

15–19

3,070

6%

237

8%

9%

40

17%

11%

20–29

11,629

23%

680

6%

25%

120

18%

34%

30–39

9,264

18%

506

5%

19%

86

17%

24%

40–49

7,809

15%

389

5%

14%

44

11%

12%

50–59

7,883

15%

342

4%

13%

36

11%

10%

60–69

5,635

11%

251

4%

9%

21

8%

6%

70+

4,919

10%

256

5%

10%

6

2%

2%

Total

51,490

100%

2,688

5%

100%

354

13%

100%

Number

Percentage of All Percentage of Drivers
Distracted Drivers Using Cell Phones

Source: FARS 2018 ARF
Note: The total includes 43 drivers 14 and younger, 2 of whom were noted as distracted. Additionally, the total includes 1,238 of unknown age, 25 of whom were noted as
distracted.

Comparing the percentage of drivers of each age groupinvolved in fatal crashes to the percentage involved in­distraction-affected fatal crashes points to overrepresentation of drivers under 30. This is seen by comparing the columns titled “Total Drivers: Percentage of Total Drivers” and“Distracted Drivers: Percentage of All Distracted Drivers.”
For all fatal crashes, 6 percent of the drivers involved were
15 to 19 years old (3,070 of the 51,490 drivers involved in fatal
crashes). However, 9 percent of the distracted drivers were
15 to 19 years old (237 of the 2,688 distracted drivers in fatal
crashes). Eleven percent of all the distracted drivers using
cell phones were 15 to 19 years old (40 of the 354 cell-phone
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis

distracted drivers in fatal crashes). Similarly, drivers in their
20s make up 23 percent of drivers in fatal crashes, but are 25
percent of all distracted drivers and 34 percent of cell-phone
distracted drivers in fatal crashes.
The distributions of drivers by age group for total drivers
involved in fatal crashes and percentage of distracted drivers
involved in fatal crashes, and distracted drivers involved in
fatal crashes and percentage of distracted drivers using cell
phones during fatal crashes, are shown graphically in Figure
1a and Figure 1b.

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Figure 1a

Total Drivers and Percentage of Total Drivers Who Were
Distracted, by Age Group, 2018
14,000

8,000

6%

6,000

8%

% of Total Drivers Who
Were Distracted

8%

10,000

5%

5%

4%

5%

4%

4%
2%

3,070 11,629 9,264 7,809 7,883 5,635 4,919

0

15–19 20–29 30–39 40–49 50–59 60–69

070+

Source: FARS 2018 ARF

Figure 1b

Distracted Drivers and Percentage of Distracted Drivers
Who Were Using Cell Phones, by Age Group, 2018
800

All Distracted Drivers

700% of All Distracted
Drivers Who Were
Using Cell Phones

600
500
400

17%

18%

17%
11%

300

11%

200
100
0

237

680

506

389

342

35%
30%
25%
20%
15%

8%

256

251

2%

15–19 20–29 30–39 40–49 50–59 60–69

70+

Total Fatalities
Person Type
Total

Number
36,560

6%

4,000
2,000

Fatalities in All Crashes and Distraction-Affected Crashes,
By Person Type, 201810%

Total Drivers

12,000

Table 310%
5%0

Source: FARS 2018 ARF

Table 3 shows the role of the people killed in distractionaffected crashes in 2018. The large majority of fatalities in
distraction-affected crashes (and in all fatal crashes) were­motor vehicle occupants (including motorcyclists): 80 percent
for all fatal crashes and 82 percent for distraction-affected fatal
crashes. The other victims were nonoccupants – pedestrians,
pedalcyclists, and others. Distracted drivers were involved in
the deaths of 506 nonoccupants in 2018. It is unknown how
many of these nonoccupants were potentially distracted aswell. In general, looking at occupant type, the percentage offatalities in distraction-affected crashes is very similar to thatin all fatal crashes.

Distraction-Affected (D-A)
Fatalities

Percent

Number

Percent

100%

2,841

100%

Occupants
Driver

22,925

63%

1,730

61%

Passenger

6,281

17%

605

21%

Total Occupants

29,206

80%

2,335

82%

Nonocccupants
Pedestrian

6,283

17%

400

14%

Pedalcyclist

857

2%

77

3%

Other/Unknown

214

1%

29

1%

Total
Nonoccupants

7,354

20%

506

18%

Source: FARS 2018 ARF

Sixty-nine percent of the distracted drivers in fatal crashes
were male as compared to 72 percent of drivers in all fatal
crashes in 2018.

Estimates of People Injured in Distraction-Affected
Crashes
In 2018 an estimated 2,710,000 people were injured in trafficcrashes (Table 4). The number of people injured in distractionaffected crashes in 2018 was estimated at 400,000 (15% of all
the injured people). An estimated 33,000 people were injured
in 2018 in crashes involving cell phone use or other cell-phonerelated activities (8% of all people injured in distractionaffected crashes).
Table 4People Injured in All Crashes and Distraction-Affected
Crashes, 2014–2018
Distracted-Affected (D-A) Crashes
Cell Phone Use
Year

Total

Number

Percentage
of Total

Number

Percentage
of D-A

2014

2,343,000

430,000

18%

34,0008%

2015

2,455,000

393,000

16%

30,0008%

2016* 3,062,000

445,000

15%

34,0008%

2017* 2,745,000

435,000

16%

31,0007%

2018* 2,710,000

400,000

15%

33,0008%

Sources: F ARS 2014–2017 Final File, 2018 ARF; NASS GES 2014–2015;
CRSS 2016–2018*CRSS estimates and NASS GES estimates are not comparable due to different
sample designs. Refer to end of document for more information about CRSS.

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis

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4Over the past 5 years, the estimated number of people injured
in distraction-affected crashes has shown decreases andincreases. The percentage of injured people in distractionaffected crashes as a portion of all injured people has remained
relatively constant.

Crashes of All Severity
Table 5 provides information for all police-reported crashes
from 2014 through 2018 including fatal crashes, injury crashes,and property-damage-only (PDO) crashes for the year. During
this time period, the percentages of crashes of all severities
that involved distractions fluctuated very little.
In 2018 there were an estimated 276,000 distraction-affectedinjury crashes (15 percent of all injury crashes). In these crashes,
an estimated 284,000 drivers (8 percent of all drivers in injury
crashes) were distracted at the time of the crashes

Table 5

Traffic Crashes and Distraction-Affected Crashes, by Crash Severity, 2014–2018
Distracted-Affected (D-A) Crashes
Cell Phone Use
Year

2014

2015

2016*

2017*

2018*

Crash Severity

Total

Number

Percentage of Total

Number

Percentage of D-A

Fatal Crash

30,056

2,972

10%

387

13%

Injury Crash

1,648,000

297,000

18%

22,0008%

PDO Crash

4,387,000

667,000

15%

46,0007%

Total

6,064,000

967,000

16%

69,0007%

Fatal Crash

32,538

3,242

10%

453

14%

Injury Crash

1,715,000

265,000

15%

21,0008%

PDO Crash

4,548,000

617,000

14%

48,0008%

Total

6,296,000

885,000

14%

69,0008%

Fatal Crash

34,748

3,197

9%

453

14%

Injury Crash

2,116,000

295,000

14%

23,0008%

PDO Crash

4,670,000

606,000

13%

42,0007%

Total

6,821,000

905,000

13%

66,0007%

Fatal Crash

34,560

3,003

9%

418

14%

Injury Crash

1,889,000

285,000

15%

21,0007%

PDO Crash

4,530,000

624,000

14%

50,0008%

Total

6,453,000

912,000

14%

71,0008%

Fatal Crash

33,654

2,628

8%

349

13%

Injury Crash

1,894,000

276,000

15%

21,0008%

PDO Crash

4,807,000

659,000

14%

38,0006%

Total

6,734,000

938,000

14%

60,0006%

Sources: F ARS 2014–2017 Final File, 2018 ARF; NASS GES 2014–2015; CRSS 2016–2018*CRSS estimates and NASS GES estimates are not comparable due to different sample designs. Refer to end of document for more information about CRSS.

Attribute Selection
As discussed in the Methodology section of this ResearchNote, FARS, GES, and CRSS were accessed to retrieve­distraction-affected crashes. Table A-1 contains every variable
attribute available for coding for driver distraction along with
examples to illustrate the meaning of the attribute. This is thecoding scheme available for FARS, GES, and CRSS. Table A-1
further indicates whether that attribute was included in theanalysis for distraction-affected crashes.
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis

In 2012 the variable attributes changed to account for different
ways that police crash reports (PCRs) from States describe general categories of distraction, inattention, and careless driving.
These additional attributes provide a more accurate classification of the behavior indicated on the PCR.
If there are no indications of usage for distraction-affectedcrashes, the attribute was not considered as a type of distraction behavior and therefore not included in the analysis.
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Data Limitations
NHTSA recognizes that there are limitations to the collection
and reporting of FARS, GES, and CRSS data with regard todriver distraction. The data collections for FARS, GES, andCRSS are based on PCRs and information gathered after thecrashes have occurred.
One noteworthy challenge for collection of distracted driving
data is the PCR itself. Police crash reports vary across jurisdictions, thus creating potential inconsistencies in reporting.
Many variables on the police crash report are nearly univer-sal, but distraction is not one of those variables. Some PCRs
identify distraction as a distinct reporting field, while others
do not have such a field and identification of distraction isbased upon the narrative portion of the report. The variationin reporting forms contributes to variation in the reported
number of distraction-affected crashes. Any national or State
count of distraction-affected crashes should be interpretedwith this limitation in mind due to potential underreportingin some States and overreporting in others.

Table A-1

Attributes Included in “Driver Distracted by” Element and Indication of Inclusion in Distraction-Affected Definitions,
FARS, GES, and CRSS, 2014–2018
Attribute

Description
Not Included

Not Distracted

Completely attentive to driving; no indication of distraction or noted as “Not Distracted”

Looked But Did Not See (deleted in 2018) Used when the driver was paying attention to driving (not distracted), but did not see the relevant vehicle, object, etc.
No Driver Present/Unknown if
Driver Present

Used when no driver is in this vehicle or when it is unknown if there is a driver present in this vehicle at the timeof the crash

Not Reported

No field available on PCR; field on PCR left blank; no other information available

Reported as Unknown if Distracted

Used when the case materials specifically indicate unknown
Included

By Other Occupant(s)Used when the driver was distracted by another occupant in this driver’s vehicle prior to realization of impending
danger; includes conversing with or looking at another occupant

By a Moving Object in Vehicle

Used when the driver was distracted by a moving object in this driver’s vehicle prior to realization of impending
danger; includes a dropped object, a moving pet, insect, or cargo

While Talking or Listening to
Cellular Phone

Used when the driver was talking or listening on a cellular phone; includes talking or listening on a “hands-free”
or Bluetooth-enabled phone

While Manipulating Cellular Phone

Used when the driver was dialing or text messaging (texting) on a cellular phone; any manual button/control
actuation on the phone qualifies

Other Cellular Phone Related

Used when the case material indicates the driver was distracted from the driving task due to cellular phone
involvement, but none of the specified codes are applicable (e.g., reaching for cellular phone). This attribute isalso applied when specific details regarding cellular phone distraction/usage are not provided.

Adjusting Audio or Climate Controls

Used when the driver was distracted from the driving task while adjusting the air conditioner, heater, radio,cassette, using the radio, using the cassette, or CD that are mounted in the vehicle

While Using Other Component/Controls Used when the driver was distracted while manipulating a control in the vehicle including adjusting headlamps
Integral to Vehicle
or interior lights, controlling windows (power or manual), manipulating door locks (power or manual), adjustingside view mirrors (power or manual), adjusting rear view mirror, adjusting seat (power or manual), adjusting
steering wheel, adjusting seat belt, on-board navigational devices, etc.
While Using or Reaching for Device/
Object Brought into Vehicle

Used when the driver was distracted while using or reaching for a device in the vehicle including a radar detector,
CDs, razors, music portable CD player, headphones, a navigational device, laptop or tablet PC, etc.

Distracted by Outside Person,
Object, or Event

Used when the driver was distracted by an outside person, object, or event prior to realization of impending
danger; includes animals on the roadside, a previous crash, or non-traffic related signs (e.g., advertisements,
electronic billboards). Do not use this attribute for a person, object, or event that the driver has recognized andfor which the driver has taken some action (e.g., avoiding a pedestrian on the roadway).

Eating or Drinking

Used when the driver was eating or drinking or involved in an activity related to these actions (e.g., picking foodfrom carton placed on passenger seat, reaching to throw out used food wrapper)

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590

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Table A-1

Attributes Included in “Driver Distracted by” Element and Indication of Inclusion in Distraction-Affected Definitions,
FARS, GES, and CRSS, 2014–2018(continued)
Attribute

Description

Smoking Related

Used when the driver was smoking or involved in an activity related to smoking, such as lighting a cigarette,
putting ashes in the ash tray, etc.

Distraction/Inattention

Used exclusively when “Distraction/Inattention” or “Inattention/Distraction” are noted in the case material as one
combined attribute

Distraction/CarelessUsed exclusively when “Distraction/Careless” or “Careless/Distraction” are noted in the case material as one
combined attribute

Careless/Inattentive

Used exclusively when “Careless/Inattentive” or “Inattentive/Careless” are noted in the case material as one
combined attribute

Distraction (Distracted),
Details Unknown

Used when “distraction” or “distracted” are noted in the case material, but specific distraction(s) cannot be
identified

Inattention (inattentive),
Details Unknown

Used when “inattention” or “inattentive” are noted in the case material, but it cannot be identified if this refers to a
distraction(s)Lost in Thought/Day Dreaming

Used when the driver was not completely attentive to driving because he/she was thinking about items other thanthe driving task

Other Distraction

Used when details regarding this driver’s distraction are known but none of the specified codes are applicable

The following are potential reasons for underreporting of
distraction-affected crashes.

The following is a challenge in quantifying external distractions.

■ There are negative implications associated with distracted

external distractions are identified as a distinct type of distraction. Some scenarios captured under external distractions might actually be related to the task of driving (e.g.,looking at a street sign). However, the crash reports may not
differentiate these driving-related tasks from other external distractions (looking at previous crash or billboard).
Currently, the category of external distractions is includedin the counts of distraction-affected crashes.

driving—especially in conjunction with a crash. Survey
research shows that self-reporting of negative behavior
is lower than actual occurrence of that negative behavior.
There is no reason to believe that self-reporting of distracted driving to a law enforcement officer would differ.
The inference is that the reported driver distraction duringcrashes is lower than the actual occurrence.
■ If a driver fatality occurs in the crash, law enforcement

must rely on the crash investigation in order to report onwhether driver distraction was involved. Law enforcement
may not have information to indicate distraction. These
investigations may rely on witness account and oftentimes
these accounts may not be available either.

■ In the reporting of distraction-affected crashes, oftentimes

The most current information on distracted-driving lawsby State is available on the Governors Highway Safety
Association website at https://ghsa.org/state-laws/issues/
distracted%20driving.

■ Technologies are changing at a rapid speed and it is dif-ficult to update the PCR to accommodate these changes.
Without broad-sweeping changes to the PCR to incorporate new technologies and features of technologies, it is difficult to capture the data that involve interaction with thesedevices.

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis

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Fatality Analysis Reporting System
The FARS contains data on every fatal motor vehicle traffic crashwithin the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. To
be included in FARS, a crash must involve a motor vehicle traveling on a public trafficway and must result in the death of a vehicle
occupant or a nonoccupant within 30 days of the crash. The Annual
Report File (ARF) is the FARS data file associated with the mostrecent available year, which is subject to change when it is finalized
about a year later. The final version of the file is aptly known as the“Final” file. The additional time between the ARF and the Finalfile provides the opportunity for submission of important variabledata requiring outside sources, which may lead to changes in the
final counts.

The updated final counts for a given previous calendar year will
be reflected with the release of the recent year’s ARF. For example, along with the release of the 2018 ARF, the 2017 Final file wasalso released to replace the previous year’s 2017 ARF. The final
fatality count in motor vehicle crashes for 2017 was 37,473, which
was updated from 37,133 from the 2017 ARF. The number of fatal­distraction-affected crashes from the 2017 Final file was 3,003,
which was updated from 2,935 from the 2017 ARF.

Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS) Replaced
the National Automotive Sampling System(NASS) General Estimates System (GES)

Methodology Change for Estimating
People Injured

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) redesigned the nationally representative sample of police-reported
traffic crashes, which estimates the number of police-reported
injury and property-damage-only crashes in the United States.
The new system, called CRSS, replaced NASS GES in 2016. For
more information on CRSS, see the Additional Resources sectionof the CRSS web page at www.nhtsa.gov/crash-data-systems/
crash-report-sampling-system-crss.

NCSA has changed the methodology of estimating people nonfatally injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes. The new approach is
to combine people nonfatally injured from both FARS and NASS
GES/CRSS. This is done by extracting people nonfatally injured
in fatal crashes from FARS with people nonfatally injured in nonfatal injury crashes from NASS GES/CRSS. The old approach was
to extract people injured from only NASS GES/CRSS by selecting
people nonfatally injured in all crashes, regardless of crash severity. This change in methodology caused some estimates of people
injured to change for some prior years.

Suggested APA Format Citation for this document:
National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2020, April). Distracted
driving 2018 (Research Note. Report No. DOT HS 812 926).
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This research note and other general information on
highway traffic safety may be found at:https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/#/.
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
14688-040620-v3