25 Shocking Distracted Driving Statistics

At this point, I think most people realize just how big of a problem and how dangerous distracted driving is. However, seeing this list of distracted driving statistics altogether in one long list really can put it into perspective. Going through and reading these statistics proving the dangers of distracted driving and then realizing that millions of people still drive while distracted is a sad truth.

Over 2.5 million people in the U.S. are involved in road accidents each year. The population of the US is just 318.9 million. At this rate, the American people could be extinct in two human lifespans. This is an astounding number of car accidents.
Of these, 1.6 million have a cell phone involved in them. That’s 64% of all road accidents in the United States. Over half the road accidents in the States have cell phones involved, and if this doesn’t make you realize just how potent it is, what will?
37,000+ people die in automobile crashes in the U.S every year
According to the NHTSA, 3,142 people were killed as a result of distracted driving in 2020. However, according to car accident attorneys at Panish Shea Boyle & Ravipudi, this is likely a severe undercount due to difficulty in measuring distraction in fatal crashes.
Every year, about 421,000 people are injured in crashes that have involved a driver who was distracted in some way.
Each year, over 330,000 accidents caused by texting while driving lead to severe injuries. This means that over 78% of all distracted drivers are distracted because they have been texting while driving.
1 out of 4 car accidents in the US are caused by texting while driving.
Texting and driving is 6 times more likely to get you into an accident than drunk driving. That’s right, it is actually safer for someone to get wasted and get behind the wheel than to text and do it.
It takes an average of three seconds after a driver’s mind is taken off the road for any road accident to occur. This is the bare minimum amount of time it takes, and it is surprisingly small. Three seconds is the time it takes to turn your ignition when starting your car.
Reading a text message while driving successfully distracts a driver for a minimum of five seconds each time. This means that the chances of an accident occurring while reading a text is extremely high indeed.
The average speed in the US is about 55mph. Taking five seconds to read a text in this time means that the driver travels the length of a football field without looking at the road, or being distracted. There are so many vehicles on the road now that this means there is a huge chance of something terrible happening in this distance.
When you text while driving, the time that you spend with your eyes off the road increases by about 400%. It is already dangerous enough to be distracted by NATURE while driving. So why make things 4 times as bad by texting?
The chances of a crash because of any reason is increased by 23 times when you are texting. Even if the crash is another driver’s fault, you will probably have been able to avoid it if you had been looking at the road instead of the phone.
When you compare this to the 2.8 times more risk that dialing a number on a phone imparts, you know that you are playing with fire.
Every day, 11 teenagers die because they were texting while driving. In fact, a recent study on teen driver accidents in Florida found that teens were much more likely than adults to be involved in accidents caused by distracted driving.
94% of teenagers understand the consequences of texting and driving, but 35% of them admitted that they do it anyway.
Of all the teenagers ever involved in fatal accidents every year, 21% were using a cell phone at the time of the accident.
Teen drivers have a 400% higher chance of being in a car crash when texting while driving than adults.
25% of teens respond to at least one text while driving, every single time.
10% of adults and 20% of teenagers have admitted that they have entire conversations over text message platforms while driving.
82% of American teenagers own a cell phone, and use it regularly to call and text message.
52% of these talk on the phone while driving, and 32% text on the road.
When polled, 77% of adults and 55% of teenage drivers say that they can easily manage texting while driving.
When teens text while they drive, they veer off lane 10% of their total drive time.
A study at the University of Utah found out that the reaction time for a teen using a cell phone is the same as that of a 70 year old who isn’t using one.
48% of kids in their younger teenage years have been in a car while the driver was texting. Over 1600 children in the same age group are killed each year because of crashes involving texters.

I want thank the people at ICEBIKE.ORG for sending me over these statistics and the original article published on their site that included them. To read the original article with these statistics, click here.

Awareness

Permalink: https://distracteddriveraccidents.com/25-shocking-distracted-driving-statistics/

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Comments 17

Posted on November 10, 2015

Tom Everson

Reply Author

Avoid use of the word “accident.” The vast majority of traffic incidents are not “accidents.” They occur because someone has violated one or more rules of the road. An accident is unavoidable, When one speeds, is distracted, runs stop signs, etc., their behavior is the cause of the incident.
- Posted on January 16, 2017
  
  Kurtis Murray
  
  Reply Author
  
  So your logic is to replace the word “accident” with “incident”? Many accidents can be avoided, but they are still accidents, no one opens a text while driving and thinks, “I hope I kill someone while I read this text.” or “If only my car will roll while I respond.” They are still accidents, if they are not explain to me what they are, because if they are not accidents someone must make them happen consciously.
  - Posted on February 12, 2017
    
    Rollin Ann
    
    Reply Author
    
    They are actually not completely wrong, when one of the drivers is at fault it is actually considered a collision, an accident is caused by something out of either drivers control.
  - Posted on October 6, 2017
    
    Eric Favaloro
    
    Reply Author
    
    So if someone drives drunk knowing there is a chance they could Kill someone, is that still an accident. Texting and driving is illegal in my state because of how dangerous it is. If you know the risk and danger and you still choose to do it, how is that an accident?
- Posted on March 18, 2017
  
  Harry Potter
  
  Reply Author
  
  It would still be an accident, despite it breaking the “rules of the road”. Accidents are accidents. (Kurtis has an excellent point)
Posted on November 12, 2015

Bob T

Reply Author

BUT why do NO politicians react to this a DO something about it?
- Posted on March 5, 2018
  
  Jack
  
  Reply Author
  
  Do you realize how many votes would be lost if cells phones become restricted? It would be a political in-correct move by the government whose members who are only interested in getting re-elected. Banning guns in any way would get votes, restricting cell phones would lose votes.
- Posted on October 4, 2018
  
  JO ANN RICHARDS
  
  Reply Author
  
  I agree and why are tickets not given to people clearly on the cell phone while driving???? Give them a hefty fine and maybe it will save lives!!!@
Posted on September 8, 2016

Jeff Campbell

Reply Author

Your first comment ◾Over 2.5 million people in the U.S. are involved in road accidents each year. The population of the US is just 318.9 million. At this rate, the American people could be extinct in two human lifespans. This is an astounding number of traffic accidents.

Is not true since the 2.5 million accidents are not all deaths. The deaths per year is around 40,000 meaning it would take 7950 years to eliminate 318 million people.
- Posted on September 15, 2017
  
  Erica
  
  Reply Author
  
  He never said they were deaths
Posted on November 16, 2016

Israa Shehata

Reply Author

This is insane! Thank you so much for sharing! I’m currently researching information about texting and driving for my persuasive speech and this article is just what I needed. I highly appreciate it; thank you!
Posted on November 22, 2016

Brian

Reply Author

Yeah, get a DUI you are treated like a second class citizen penalized financially even if no body was hurt , money racket!
Posted on February 20, 2017

web

Reply Author

gosh
Posted on February 22, 2017

Philip Johnson

Reply Author

Can you please show references for these comments a lot of them are not within range of Federal data
Posted on February 27, 2017

Young Metro

Reply Author

I don’t trust distracted drivers.
Posted on February 22, 2018

Maureen

Reply Author

I am so sick about the fact that you are still able to text and drive. After two of my children were involved with a driver who was texting and driving, and they have done nothing. The statistics are there and we still allow it.
All Secretary of States should be ashamed of themselves
Posted on April 2, 2019

Deanna

Reply Author

Any idea where icebike.org got these statistics? I can’t seem to find a study to prove them.

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25 Shocking Distracted Driving Statistics