With the advent of modern technology, particularly in motor vehicles, distractions while driving has been on the rise. While innovation focuses on car and truck safety, misuse can have serious consequences.
Deadly dangers
Statistics paint a dire picture that puts anyone traveling roads throughout the United States in what can be grave danger.
Cambridge Mobile Telematics revealed the following statistics:
- From February 2020 to February 2022, drivers were 30 percent more distracted by their smartphones, the highest amount since 2019
- Distracted driving altered seasonal patterns in 2022, where distractions were higher in the summer and lower in the winter are not a year-round constant
- Speeding, popular during the pandemic when wide open roads replaced traffic jams, remains, yet still well below the high points of 2020
- The most common time of distracted driving is between 6:00 pm and 11:00 pm
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also reported troubling findings:
- Distracted driving played a role in more than eight percent of fatal collisions
- One-fifth of accidents resulting in injuries involved distracted driving
- Drivers admit to being distracted by their devices 10 percent of the entire time they are driving
Additional stats uncover even more risks:
- Forty-two percent of high school students confessed to driving while texting or emailing (TeenDriversSource)
- Every day, distracted driving claims eight lives, with a total of 3.5000 annually (CDC)
- Distracted driving resulted in 400,000+ motorists suffering injuries in collisions, with 2,800 losing their lives (CDC)
- With 47 states legalizing bans on texting while driving, three remain without any regulations (IIHS)
Findings reveal that distracted driving remains prominent throughout the United States. That level of negligence represents a continuing and clear and present danger to anyone sharing the roads with fellow travelers.