Have you found yourself guilty of taking your eyes off of the road every once and a while? Do you fear getting into a car accident due to the negligence, and carelessness, of another driver?
If so, then you need to learn about a few distracted driving statistics that will shock you. These stats are taken nationally and paint the picture of where we are as American drivers: distracted.
See below for several distracted driving statistics that can help you identify when there’s an inattentive or preoccupied driver on the road with you. Let these stats fuel your desire to pay more attention.
1. Young Drivers with Fatalities
While it might be taboo to talk about, the risks of a young driver being involved in a fatal car crash are very real. Back in 2018, statistics showed that drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 made up 8-percent of drivers involved in a fatal car crash.
Distracted driving results in young lives that are lost too soon. The more depressing stat is that young drivers, within that same age range, only accounted for 5 percent of total drivers in the United States.
In-car insurance, drivers have the ability to remain under their parent’s coverage until the age of 25. That isn’t a coincidence.
Drivers under this age are considered the riskiest, second to only intoxicated drivers and elderly drivers. Why? Because the case could be made that they are the most distracted.
We often think that they’re being distracted by their phones, but that isn’t all that diverts their attention from the roads.
This could be taking their eyes off the road to talk to passengers, messing with their radio/BlueTooth, or even—horrifyingly—watching Netflix on their tablet while taking a longer trip.
If you have a child or know a young driver in your network, please make them aware of these statistics. It isn’t dramatic to say that this information could, quite literally, save their life.
2. The Age of 16 to 19
As if that 8-percent statistic wasn’t horrifying enough, there are even more specific stats on the distracted driving that our youth has on the open roads. Roads that have families driving on them.
Be prepared, some of these teen driving facts are going to be tough to read:
- More than 2,000 teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 are killed in motor vehicle accidents each year
- The more teen passengers that are in the car, the higher the risk that they’re involved in an accident during their travels
- A teen driver’s risk of being involved in a fatal accident decreases by over 60-percent when they’re driving with a passenger over 35
- Almost 250,000 teen drivers are taken to the hospital for injuries from a car crash
- Male teen drivers have twice the likelihood of dying in a car crash than female teen drivers
Here’s another shocking stat for you. Over 70-percent of teens admit that they frequently talk on a cell phone while driving. Over 50-percent of them admit to texting and driving.
That last stat is probably skew since it would require teens fessing up to doing something they know is dangerous and irresponsible. We’d venture to assume much more than that actual text and drive.
3. The Average Text Time
If you’ve ever been involved in a driver safety course or read a few blog articles on the subject, then you know that a car crash can happen in less than 3 seconds.
Studies have shown that, on average, drivers will take a total of 5 seconds to read or respond to a text message without looking back onto the road. You do the math.
In two seconds less than the time it takes them to respond to a text, they can suffer a serious injury or have their life taken from a car crash.
We as role models need to be more proactive. Start taking steps to prevent your child from texting and driving, no matter the cost.
4. The Rise of Insurance Rates
As previously mentioned, children under the age of 25 are seen as a huge risk to insurance companies. If you or your child are to get caught texting and driving, then it can cause your rates to skyrocket.
On average, a distracted driver citation has caused insurance rates to go from $82 to $762. Do you really think that text is worth responding to right away for almost $700 more?
Think of it this way, you’d be lucky to pay for that rise in insurance without a significant injury. Stay off your phone and focus on the road instead.
5. Nine People a Day
Nine people each day. That’s how many people die from a car crash that involves a distracted driver. The number is even higher for crashes in general.
At first, that might not seem like a lot. However, if you get on the road each day and have the same habit of checking your phone, your chances of being one of the nine go up.
While on the road, there will be things that are beyond your control. But if you take hold of the things you can control, such as setting the phone aside, then you’ll arrive safe, on time, and alive.
Don’t Be One of These Distracted Driving Statistics
We always tell ourselves “that will never happen to me”, but we know the truth. If you keep distracting yourself with your phone while you drive, it can happen to you.
Set the phone down. Focus on the road. Drive the speed limit. Turn the music down. Be sure that you’re practicing what you preach to your children and other drivers.
Be sure to browse our website for more articles on distracted driving statistics, as well as many other topics you will enjoy.
