FACTS

Accidents from driving distractions:

• When a driver is not paying attention to the road ahead due to texting or other distractions, they may fail to notice that the vehicle in front of them has slowed down or stopped, leading to a rear-end crash.
• Cognitive distractions, such as daydreaming or being lost in thought, can potentially cause a sideswipe collision.
• Distracted drivers might fail to notice traffic signals or stop signs, leading to accidents at intersections.
• Drivers who are distracted may not see pedestrians or cyclists at crosswalks or on the roadside.
• Multitasking while driving, such as eating or using a phone, can lead to a loss of control over the vehicle.
• If a driver is visually distracted and drifts into oncoming traffic, a head-on collision can occur.
• Distractions can cause a driver to inadvertently steer off the road.
• A single distracted driver not paying attention to traffic ahead can trigger a chain reaction of collisions.
• Distractions can cause drivers to misjudge distances, speeds, and the behavior of others on the road.

STATS

• About 3,000 people die in auto accidents due to distracted driving every year.
• 587 Pedestrians and cyclists were killed in distracted driving auto accidents in 2020.
• In 2020, 3,142 people died in collisions involving distracted driving.
• Drivers were 30% more distracted in February 2022 than they were in February 2020, making it the worst month for phone distraction while driving in the U.S. since 2019.
• Speeding is still above pre-pandemic levels, but it’s well below the highs of 2020.
• Distracted driving spikes at night between 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
• In 2020, distracted driving was a reported factor in 8.1% of fatal motor vehicle crashes.
• 42% of high school students across the United States admitted that they text or email while driving. 23% of drives under the age of 21 in Canada have admitted to participating in distracted driving.
• Roughly 20% of injuries occurring in car accident crashes involve distracted driving, and 8 out of 10 collisions in Canada are caused by distracted driving.
• Distracted driving claims eight lives per day — approximately 3,500 per year.
• Drivers are distracted by their phones for at least 10% of their driving duration.