Distracted driving accidents are on the rise and may soon replace drunk driving as the most common cause of fatal car accidents.
Distracted driving is a huge issue nationwide. Despite how safe modern cars are, and the steps taken to ensure automotive safety in the United States, car accidents are becoming more common – and more deadly.
This is because, according to the NHTSA, car accidents are on the rise, and there were nearly 40,000 fatalities from crash tests in 2017, which is more than 2015 when traffic fatalities rose at a higher rate than they had in more than 50 years.
What is causing this issue? Most research points to distracted driving, primarily caused by smartphone use in cars.
The Numbers Behind Distracted Driving – More Dangerous Than Drunk Driving?
You may think that using your phone while driving is no big deal, especially because you only look at it for a few seconds. But any St. Louis car accident attorney will tell you otherwise. Using your phone while driving – even for a short period of time – can be lethal.
Here are just a few scary statistics related to distracted driving.
- Cell phone use while driving results in an estimated 1.6 million car crashes per year.
- Distracted driving results in 25% of all fatal auto accidents. For comparison, in 2010, drunk driving caused 31% of all motor vehicle fatalities. Rates of cell phone use while driving continue to rise – so it’s possible that distracted driving may replace DWI or DUI as the most common cause of fatal traffic accidents in the near future.
- 10% of people who text while driving will veer out of their lane while trying to respond to a text message.
- Approximately 660,000 people use their cell phone while driving every day.
- Taking your eyes off of the road for 5 seconds to answer a text message at 55 mph results in you driving nearly the length of a football field – essentially blindfolded.
Don’t Text While Driving – Keep You And Your Family Safe
As you can see from the above statistics, texting while driving and using your phone while driving are some of the most dangerous things you can do on the road – they could be even more dangerous than driving while intoxicated.
So don’t let distracted driving cause a car accident. Put the phone down, keep your eyes on the road, and drive safely. It’s better than being in a serious car accident.