“Distracted drivers kill thousands of people every year,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “If you’re not focused on driving, you’re endangering the lives of everyone on the road. Please put the phone down and eliminate any other distractions when you get behind the wheel.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
Distracted driving is especially dangerous for people walking, biking, or otherwise outside of a vehicle. According to NHTSA, nearly one in five distracted driving deaths were non-motorists.
Drivers that use cell phones while behind the wheel are up to four times as likely to be involved in a crash. Further, research shows that hands-free cell phones offer no significant safety benefits over handheld phones—hands-free is not risk-free.
AAA research continues to reveal a strong ‘do as I say, not as I do’ attitude towards distracted driving and many other driving activities/behaviors. About a quarter of drivers report typing or sending a text message or email and more than 1 in 3 reports reading a text or email while driving in the past month.
According to federal crash data, 12.3% of distraction-affected crashes involved confirmed use of a smartphone. This represents roughly 1% of all fatal crashes, which underscores that while smartphone use is most frequently blamed for driver distraction, there are many other causes of distraction-affected crashes.
Distracted driving also endangers the lives of AAA tow providers and other emergency responders. An average of 24 emergency responders are struck and killed by a vehicle - while working on the roadside - every year. An attentive driver is more likely to notice an emergency worker on the roadside and move over. Not only is that the law, but it saves lives.
View AAA’s Distracted Driving Fact Sheet.
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