The Very Real Dangers of Distracted Driving
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It’s the number one cause of car accidents in the U.S. and it’s becoming increasingly worse.
According to AAA’s Traffic Safety Division, 25-50% of all motor car accidents are caused by distracted driving.1 Texting, taking a phone call, and eating all require the brain to switch between tasks, which causes distraction. Just two seconds of distraction doubles your chances of an accident.2
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The CDC has identified three kinds of distracted driving:3
- Visual: taking your eyes off the road to follow your GPS, look at a passenger, or enjoy the scenery
- Manual: taking your hands off the wheel to use your phone, grab a snack, or use your touch screen
- Cognitive: taking your mind off driving to talk, worry, or daydream
Driving requires our full attention, but with increased distraction from cell phones, touch screens, and temptations to multitask, many of us tend to operate under a false sense of security. These facts illustrate the very real dangers of distracted driving:
- Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.4
- Of the drivers involved in distracted driving accidents, 65% were described as “lost in thought” or daydreaming.5
- Cell phone use accounted for 12% of all distraction-related fatal crashes in 2021, with at least one of the involved drivers engaged cell phone activity at the time of the crash.6
- More people use their cell phones while driving in poor weather conditions than when conditions are clear, further exacerbating the danger.7
- In distracted driving accidents involving teenagers (ages 15-19), 44% resulted in a teen fatality.8 Talk to your teens about the dangers of distracted driving!
With our increased reliance on technology, distracted driving continues to intensify. In addition to the tragedy of distracted driving accidents and fatalities, the increase in accidents also leads to higher insurance premiums.
Remember that your only job when you are in the driver’s seat is to get where you are going safely. If you are too distracted to drive, do not get behind the wheel.
1 “The Risks of Distracted Driving,” https://exchange.aaa.com/safety/distracted-driving/the-risks-of-distracted-driving/, accessed November 2023.
2 “Keep Your Eyes on the Road: Young Driver Crash Risk Increases According to Duration of Distraction,” National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/, accessed November 2023.
3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Distracted Driving
4 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts: Distracted Driving, https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving, May 2023.
5 “Car Crash Statistics,” Bankrate.com, https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/car-crash-statistics/, October 2023.
6,7,8 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts: Distracted Driving.
