Many people may not think twice about looking at their cellphones as they drive. However, distracted driving can have severe consequences.
Distracted driving is not just looking at a cellphone. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, people drive distracted whenever their attention is not on the road. People may stop paying attention because they are talking to their passengers or eating. Programming a navigation system and changing the radio station can also keep a driver from focusing on the road.
Are distracted driving accidents fatal?
Sometimes distracted driving may result in fatal crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 2,841 people died in distracted driving accidents in 2018. Cellphone use behind the wheel caused 385 of these deaths. In 61% of these fatal accidents, the driver died. Distracted driving can also cause the deaths of people outside the vehicle. Four hundred pedestrians died in a distracted driving collision in 2018.
How old are distracted drivers?
While many people might think that teenagers are most likely to drive distracted, this is not the case. The 2018 statistics indicate that people between the ages of 20 and 29 were most likely to get into a fatal crash caused by distracted driving. In total, 680 people in their twenties got into a fatal accident, and 120 of these incidents involved a cellphone. People in their thirties ranked as the second group most likely to get into a fatal distracted driving accident.
Even if distracted driving accidents are not fatal, people may incur severe injuries. It is important for people to take precautions so they are always safe behind the wheel.
