Shocking Texting and Driving Facts

Ten percent of fatal crashes, 15 percent of injury crashes, and 14 percent of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2015 were reported as distraction-affected crashes.

The number of people injured in distraction-affected crashes in 2014 was estimated at 431,000 (18% of all the people injured).

An estimated 33,000 people were injured in 2014 in crashes involving cell phone use or other cell phone-related activities, 8 percent of all people injured in distraction-affected crashes.

Drivers in their 20’s are 24 percent of drivers in all fatal crashes, but are 33 percent of the distracted drivers that were using cell phones in fatal crashes.

As of December 2015, 156.7 billion text messages were sent in the US (including Puerto Rico, the Territories, and Guam) every month.

Nine percent of all drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted at the time of the crashes.

According to a 2016 State Farm survey, teens who reported using their smartphone while driving were much more likely to report being involved in a crash while driving, and exhibiting other dangerous driving behaviors including speeding, failing to wear a seat belt, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In 2015, there were 551 non-occupants killed in distraction-affected crashes.

According to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving blind at 55-mph for the length of an entire football field.