Get the Facts on Cell Phones and Distracted Driving

April 2024

Distracted driving needs our attention.

Each year, thousands of motorists are killed and hundreds of thousands more are injured due to distraction-related crashes. In 2022, 12% of all fatal accidents related to distracted driving involved texting or cell phone use.¹

Phones clearly aren't the only potential distractions while driving. However, there is ample evidence that cell phone use dramatically increases accident risk for drivers of all ages, and especially for young drivers.

Here's why phones are so distracting, how they increase accident risk, and tips for distraction-free driving when it comes to calls and texts.

Three types of distraction

Distractions divide your attention, and that's why they're so dangerous. Your focus shifts away from totally concentrating on driving safely to trying to multi-task, and people are never as good at that as they think they are (see our video above for proof).

Driving while distracted takes away your vision from the road, your manual control of your vehicle, and your brain's cognitive processing power required to drive safely.²

Visual

When a driver looks at anything other than the road

Manual

When a driver takes one or both hands off the wheel

Cognitive

When emotions dictate driving behavior or disrupt focus

Driver reaction time

It can take at least three times as long for a texting driver to respond than a safe and attentive driver. With sudden changes in traffic and road conditions, and sharing the road with cyclists and pedestrians, one text has the potential to cause lasting damage to yourself and others.

Here's how many additional feet are needed to brake (in dry road conditions)³:

Illustration of two cars showing additional braking distance needed. Text on image: 4 feet, drunk driver. 70 feet, texting driver.

How much does phone use increase the risk of an accident?

Every 2 seconds looking away from the road

2-3x more likely

(It takes 5 seconds to send 1 text)^4,5

Texting and using apps or GPS navigation

4-6x more likely

(6-8x more likely for teen drivers)^6,7

Dialing or reaching for a phone

4x more likely

(6-8x more likely for teen drivers)^6,7

Inattention blindness and distraction latency

Distraction can lead to something called "inattention blindness." This means that even if you're looking at the road while doing something else, such as talking on the phone, your brain can still fail to comprehend or process information about objects or road conditions ahead. In other words, you can be looking at something but not able to see it.⁸

Following a distracting activity, it takes drivers about 27 seconds, to be fully engaged in driving again.⁹ Think about how far you can drive in 27 seconds going 55mph! We won't make you do the math, but here's a hint: In just 5 seconds, you travel the length of a football field—and with inattention blindness, you're essentially driving blindfolded.

Tips for distraction-free driving

Being an informed and responsible driver helps reduce the risks of accidents for yourself and also for other drivers and pedestrians.¹⁰

Texting at a red light or stop sign still pulls your attention away from driving, and is not considered safe. If you have to send or read a text, find a safe place to pull over and fully park.
If you have a passenger next to you, appoint them as your "designated texter" to respond to texts or phone calls for you.
Set your phone to Do Not Disturb or silence notifications until you arrive at your destination.
Don't be afraid to speak up when you see someone texting while driving, and request that they put their phone away.

Additional Resources

Phones aren't the only driving distractions: here are 8 ways to prevent distracted driving.
Know a teen driver? Check out teenSMART^®, a driver safety program that reduces risk and provides an opportunity to save on auto insurance up to age 21.

The information we share on our site is intended to serve as a general overview. Please refer to your policy or contact your local independent agent for specific coverage details.

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