FACTS

1. Distracted driving occurs any time you take your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off your primary task: driving safely. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of being involved in a motor vehicle crash.
2. Talking and texting on a phone are driving distractions. Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distractions. Research shows that hands-free phones are as distracting as handheld phones.
3. Driving while talking or texting on a cell phone not only puts you at risk for an accident- it can also result in an expensive fine and demerit points on your driver’s licence if police catch you doing it.

STATS

Roughly, nine people are killed and more than 1,000 injured daily in accidents in which at least one driver was distracted.

• Nearly 4,000 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2015.
• Distracted driving was the reported cause of death of 3,450 people in 2016.
• An estimated 391,000 drivers were injured in distracted driving crashes in 2017.
• For comparison, there were 39,773-gun deaths in the United States in 2017.
• In 2019, distracted driving was a reported factor in 8.5% of fatal motor vehicle crashes.

In March 2019, The Zebra conducted a survey of the driving behaviors and attitudes of 2,000 Americans.

• 37% of respondents aged 18 to 34 said they felt a high degree of pressure to respond to work-related messages while driving, compared to 25% of the national average among all age groups.
• Parents with young children were more likely to be distracted while driving (87%) than were adults with no small children (74%).
• One in three female drivers admitted to taking photos while driving.

The variations in distracted driving behavior based on the operating system of the cell phone the driver used.

• 16% of iPhone users said they never get distracted while driving (vs. 23% of Android users and 38% of users of other mobile operating systems).
• iPhone and Apple Car play users are more than twice as likely than Android users to video-chat, use Instagram, stream shows on Netflix or Hulu, and take photos and videos while driving.
• 10% of iPhone users admitted watching videos on YouTube while driving, while 4% of Android users admitted to doing the same.