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At times, their cell use is distracting and dangerous because it takes place when their attention is best focused elsewhere.

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Adult Drivers Are as Likely as Teens to Be Distracted by Cell Phones

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Cell Phones and Driving, edited by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http%3A%2F%2Flink.galegroup.com%2Fapps%2Fdoc%2FEJ3010743226%2FOVIC%3Fu%3Dpl2683%26sid%3DOVIC%26xid%3D693617c1. Accessed 27 Feb. 2019. Originally published as "Adults and Cell Phone Distractions," Pew Internet & American Life Project, 18 June 2010.

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Smith couldn't shake the feeling that something about the crash didn't make sense. The driver who killed her mother was a sober, churchgoing 20-year-old who'd never even had a speeding ticket.

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Texting While Driving Is as Dangerous as Drunk Driving

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The more she found, the angrier she became. Study upon study showed that talking on a cellphone while driving was far more dangerous than she'd realized-that a driver on a phone had the same reaction speed as someone legally intoxicated, that those talking on a phone behind the wheel are four times as likely to crash, that texting while driving is even more dangerous.

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According to a report published by the NHTSA, 5,474 people were killed in the United States due to distracted driving incidents and 448,000 were injured in these accidents.

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While no state bans the use of cell phones while driving, as of 2012 thirty-two states and the District of Columbia ban cell phone use by all new drivers. Ten states ban talking on a hand-held cell phone. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia have enacted texting-while-driving laws that ban texting while driving.

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During daylight hours across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, the NHTSA reports.

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The popularity of wireless devices has had some unintended and sometimes deadly consequences. An alarming number of traffic accidents are linked to driving while distracted, including the use of cell phones while driving, resulting in injury and loss of life. The national statistics are sobering.

Nine people are killed and more than 1,000 are injured daily in incidents reported as distraction-related crashes in the United States, according to the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association ( NHTSA). In 2019, more than 3,100 people were killed in accidents attributed to distracted driving, and an estimated 400,000 people were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2018.

Handheld cell phone use tends to be highest among 16- to 24-year-old drivers, according to NHTSA's National Occupant Protection Use Survey ( PDF).
What can you do?
Be clear: Make sure new drivers understand that they should not use wireless devices while driving. Before new drivers get their licenses, discuss how taking their eyes off the road - even for a few seconds - could cause someone injury or even death.

Lead by example: Set rules for new drivers, and for yourself, regarding distracted driving. Never text while driving - if you are driving and you need to text or talk on the phone, pull over to a safe place before doing so.

Be engaged: Tell family and friends, about the importance of driving without distractions. Take information to your kids' schools and ask that it be shared with students and parents.
State laws
While there is no national ban on texting or using a wireless phone while driving, many states are taking action, according to the non-profit Governors Highway Safety Association ( GHSA):

25 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam have banned drivers from hand-held phone use while driving.

48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam have banned texting while driving for all drivers.

37 states and the District of Columbia prohibit all cell phone use by novice drivers.

23 states and the District of Columbia prohibit school bus drivers from cell phone use while driving.

For more information on state laws, visit the Governors Highway Safety Association.

For more information and statistics about wireless devices and driving, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving.

Printable Version

The Dangers of Distracted Driving (pdf)

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The popularity of mobile devices has had some unintended and even dangerous consequences. We now know that mobile communications are linked to a significant increase in distracted driving, resulting in injury and loss of life. Distracted driving endangers life and property and the current levels of injury and loss are unacceptable.

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Text and whatever. But when you get behind the wheel, give your phone to a passenger.

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An online platform for safe driving and youth safety supporters to implore young adults not to text while driving.

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21 percent of teen drivers involved in fatal car accidents are distracted by their cell phone.

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94 percent of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving, but 35% admitted to doing it anyway.

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It doesn't matter if you look at your phone for 1 second, that 1 second can be the decider between life and death.

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Distracted driving resulted in approximately 2,600 deaths in 2002. The number of distracted driving accidents increased by 22% in 2011 and resulted in 3,331 fatalities. Texting while driving is a leading cause of distracted driving.

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Even though texting and driving is illegal and you can get fined people somehow feel like it is a good idea.

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Texting and Driving | True Stories | Conor's Story

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A TEXT FROM THE FUTURE - Safe Driving Short Film