Phones & driving

The popularity of mobile devices has had some unintended and sometimes deadly consequences. An alarming number of traffic accidents are linked to driving while distracted, including use of mobile devices while driving, resulting in injury and loss of life. The most recent national statistics are sobering. 3,166 people were killed by distracted driving in 2017 alone, 8.5 percent of total fatalities for the year.

Approximately nine people are killed and more than 1,000 injured daily in the United States in incidents reported as involving a distracted driver. During daylight hours across America, approximately 481,000 drivers are using cell phones while driving. Teens were the largest age group reported as distracted at the time of fatal crashes. Texting while driving and other cell phone use while driving facts and statistics show that this multitasking behind the wheel is becoming a life-threatening norm. Talking or texting while driving or checking or sending social media posts takes eyes and brains off the task of driving.

While texting while driving certainly doesn't always lead to a fatality, there are a wealth of statistics that show that texting and driving is directly connected to traffic deaths. The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use leads to 1.6 million crashes on a yearly basis while texting while driving is six times more likely to cause a crash than drunk driving is. One out of every four traffic crashes that occur in the U.S. are spurred by cell phone usage, and furthermore, each day, 11 teens die as a result of texting and driving, which is a downright astounding number. Over 3,000 teens and young drivers die yearly due to texting while driving.

Almost every state has laws strictly prohibiting texting while driving, and those who don't often consider it a distracted driving offense. States that once allowed texting while driving have since cracked down on distracted driving. Many states also prohibit talking on the phone while driving unless you are using a hands-free device. If you are a commercial driver, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) prohibits all commercial drivers from using hand-held mobile devices.

Distracted driving consists of driving while distracted in any manner. While cell phone use is often a part of it, distracted driving also encompasses many other activities, including eating, reading, drinking, talking to other passengers, looking around, adjusting location devices, adjusting the radio or any other activity that takes the driver's attention away from the task of driving. While any of these activities may be involved, texting while driving is usually considered the most serious type of distracted driving because it causes the most types of distraction.