Distracted driving is dangerous.Using your phone while driving is believed to be one of the leading causes for the increase in crashes and fatalities nationwide. Vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers killed 3,166 people in 2017, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Association.
Increasingly, drivers are posting on social media, scrolling through playlists, and live streaming videos and TV shows. These activities put pedestrians and motorists in real danger. Sending or reading a text while driving at 55 mph means that your eyes are off the road for around 5 seconds—which is equivalent to driving the length of a football field while blindfolded.
Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia ban the use of hand-held devices while driving. According to the Georgia House Study Committee, 13 states saw an average 16 percent decrease in fatalities within two years of passing a handheld device ban.
Did you know that approximately 661,000 drivers are using an electronic device at any given moment of daylight in America? This startling statistic demonstrates how pervasive distracted driving is—and how great the challenge is to change this dangerous behavior.
We are working to strengthen highway safety laws to protect drivers and pedestrians and keep our roads safe.