Most people try to manage the complexity of their lives by multitasking. Whether eating while driving or sending a text at a stoplight, drivers are trying to complete multiple tasks during a time where their sole focus should be on the road.
Continue reading to learn more about the dangers of distracted driving.
General Information on Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, which includes texting, talking on the phone, eating, drinking, fiddling with your navigation system, among other tasks. Texting is the most hazardous distraction. Even if you’re only texting for five seconds, it’s the equivalent of driving through a football field with your eyes closed.
In 2018, approximately 3,000 people were killed in car accidents involving distracted drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Discover more distracted driving statistics below.
Why is Texting While Driving Dangerous?
You may think texting while driving isn’t a big deal because of how quick it is, but this activity incorporates the three types of distracted driving:
- Visual: Taking your eyes off the road
- Manual: Taking your hands off the wheel
- Cognitive: Taking your mind off of driving
Your eyes are on your phone, so they can’t be on the road. Your hands are on your phone, so they can’t be on your wheel. Your mind is on the text you’re replying to, so you’re not paying attention to your surroundings.
Distracted Driving Statistics
Here’s a list of distracted driving statistics as it pertains to cell phone usage provided by the National Safety Council (NSC):
- Cell Phone use while driving results in over 1.7 million crashes every year.
- Approximately 400,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting and driving.
- One out of every four accidents in the U.S. is caused by texting behind the wheel.
- Texting while driving is six times more likely to result in an accident than drunk driving.
- Responding to a text takes approximately ten seconds. It only takes one second to end up in a collision.
- Of all cell phone related tasks, texting is the most dangerous one.
- Ninety-four percent of Americans support banning this practice at the federal level.
- Seventy-four percent of drivers support a nationwide ban on hand-held cell phone usage.
Teen Distracted Driving Statistics
Here are distracted driving statistics provided by the NSC as it relates to teenagers:
- Twenty-one percent of teen drivers involved in deadly collisions were distracted by their cell phones.
- Ninety-four percent of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting while driving, but 35 percent admitted to doing it anyway.
- Teenagers are four times more likely than adults to get into a car crash when talking or texting.
- A teenager with one passenger doubles their risk of getting into a fatal car accident. The risk becomes five times more likely if they have multiple passengers.
Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton is Here for You
Unfortunately, even if you refuse to text and drive, other drivers aren’t as considerate. If you were recently involved in a car accident that left you injured, you might be eligible for compensation. The experienced personal injury attorneys at Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton can hold the negligent driver accountable in court. Schedule your free case evaluation today.