Is Distracted Driving More Dangerous than Intoxicated Driving?
Did you know that distracted driving is at least six times more dangerous than intoxicated driving?
The risks of consuming alcohol before driving are devastating and well-established. Driving while under the influence has long been considered the most dangerous scenario that a driver can put themselves in, killing more than 10,000 people and accounting for 29% of fatal accidents in the United States in 2018.
While cellphones haven’t been around as long as alcohol, the risks of distracted driving - or driving while engaged in another activity like texting or talking on the phone -- have grown steadily over the years. In one study The Transport Research Laboratory, researchers found that texting slows driver reactions by 35 percent while drinking alcohol up to the legal limit slows reactions by 12 percent. Another study found that texting drivers react 23 percent slower than intoxicated drivers do.
How many people are killed by distracted driving?
In 2018 alone, 2,841 people were killed in the United States from distracted driving. And distracted driving doesn’t just kill drivers; of those killed in 2018, 605 were passengers, 400 were pedestrians, and 77 were bicyclists.
Additionally, distracted driving accidents injured 400,000 people in 2018.
Distracted driving crashes are also under-reported. In 2015, the National Safety Council estimated that cell phone use alone accounted for 27% of car crashes.
Teenagers and young drivers are most at risk
More than 58% of crashes involving teenagers are due to driver distraction, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The risks of texting and driving are highest for teenage drivers. So much so that 58% of crashes involving teenagers are due to driver distraction, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
A study done by AAA identified the most common forms of distraction the lead up to crashes involving teen drivers:
Interacting with one or more passengers: 15 percent of crashes
Cell phone use: 12 percent of crashes
Looking at something in the vehicle: 10 percent of crashes
Looking at something outside the vehicle: 9 percent of crashes
Singing/moving to music: 8 percent of crashes
Grooming: 6 percent of crashes
Reaching for an object: 6 percent of crashes
In 2017, nearly 40% of high school students reported texting or emailing while driving, and despite that teens know that using their cell phone and social media apps while driving is unsafe - they still do it anyways .
SOURCE: AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety
How signing a pledge can help
A team of researchers at Syracuse University found that signing a pledge is a powerful way to change behavior - but that the changes only happen if pledge signers are reminded of the promise they took.
When Hunter’s Fund asked the pledge signers for their contact information to periodically remind them to: wear the safe driving wristband they had received upon signing the pledge, be a safe driver; and, remind others to drive safely as well, the final results showed that 55% of those signing Hunter’s Pledge said their behavior had changed.
Join the thousands of others who have signed Hunter’s Pledge by scanning the QR code below or clicking here. Then sign up to receive your free wristband gift in the mail and keep it on your wrist or in your car as a reminder of the promise you took.
Try it out: open your smartphone camera and point it towards the QR code above