How to Avoid the Dangers of Distracted Driving and Stay Safe on the Road

It only takes a moment of distracted driving to cause a tragic crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that sending or reading a text at 55 miles per hour is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed. About nine people die in crashes involving distracted drivers every day in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With 3,522 deaths associated with distracted driving in 2021, federal and state leaders are more proactive than ever to convince us to put our phones down and focus on the road. Only two states, Missouri and Montana, have a text messaging ban, and 30 states ban hand-held devices.

Distracted driving can also significantly impact your car insurance rates. Your provider will likely consider you a riskier driver if you have a citation. It’s good to understand the high toll of distracted driving and how to stay safe on the road.

Distracted driving is any activity that diverts a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. Our first thought when we hear distracted driving is texting, which is understandable, with 12% of all fatal distraction-affected crashes linked to cellphone use, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, the definition of distracted driving includes multiple categories.

Texting while driving is so concerning because it combines visual, manual and cognitive distractions. And, often, we’re trying to do it simultaneously with other destructive measures.

"Distracted driving has always been an issue," said Janet Ruiz, California representative of the Insurance Information Institute. "It used to be people doing their makeup and eating breakfast behind the wheel. Now people are doing their makeup, eating breakfast and using cellphones, so it's a larger concern today."

When you get behind the wheel, multiple elements compete for your attention. Knowing what distractions you face is important to recognize so you can work to ignore them. Here are the 10 most common distractions.

Drivers 15 to 20 years old are more likely to be distracted than drivers of any age. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for American teenagers — sadly, 9% of deadly teen crashes involve a distracted driver, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Teenagers are most at risk because they lack experience behind the wheel, making the slightest distraction more dangerous. “Teens have lots of distractions — cellphones, roughhousing, music — and the drivers themselves are all novice drivers and don't appreciate how difficult it can be to pay attention to the road,” said Russ Martin, state relations manager at the AAA Foundation. “Teen brains are still developing; have the highest crash risk and are just learning to drive. There is no need for them to have additional distractions. With every additional teen passenger in the car, the crash risk dramatically increases, too.”

Both distracted driving and drunk driving are hazardous. Physician and University of Washington scientist Beth Ebel, MD, MPH, says you're 23 times more likely to crash while texting, equivalent to driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.19%. That is more than twice the legal limit of 0.8% and is a risk comparable to driving while drunk.

Distracted driving is likely under-reported, while the number of deaths is higher from drunk driving. Alcohol levels can be tested and confirmed, while distracted driving must be self-reported in most cases.

Sources: NHTSA (Distracted Driving in 2021), NHTSA (Alcohol Impaired Driving in 2021)

As cellphones became more commonplace in the early 2000s, states quickly reacted to safety concerns and introduced laws to prevent distracted driving:

• Forty-seven states and Washington, D.C., have a primary law banning text messaging.
• Two states have a secondary law on texting and driving.
• Twenty-four states ban all cellphone use while driving.

A primary law means you can be pulled over and ticketed for the action, but a secondary law means an officer can only cite you if you violated a primary offense first. "We are working on getting bans on texting while driving in all 50 states and the District of Columbia," said Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. The coalition has reservations about secondary enforcement bans. "We don't consider those optimal laws," she added.

Many states also have unique laws to address specific driving dangers, like distracted or drowsy driving. For example, Maggie’s Law in New Jersey categorizes sleep-deprived drivers as reckless drivers, allowing them to face vehicular homicide charges. Maggie McDonnell was 20 years old when a driver crossed three lanes of traffic and hit her car head-on in 1997.

While each state creates its own driving laws, many are similar. Distracted driving laws focus on texting, hand-held devices and young drivers. While many states ban texting, fewer ban all hand-held cellphone use. Young drivers face the strictest rules to limit distractions while gaining driving experience.

You can view the specific cellphone bans in your state using this interactive map with information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

If the police catch you texting while driving, you will face fines and penalties. Similar to the laws, these fines and penalties vary from state to state. Alabama has one of the cheapest penalties at $25 for a first offense, but in Alaska, you face a year in prison and a $10,000 fine the first time you text and drive.

These fines and possible jail time increase if you cause crashes. Prosecutors have some discretion when charging drivers for serious injury crashes, including vehicular homicide, if someone dies.

Teenagers and new drivers are most at risk for severe crashes and accidents, so many states have implemented graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs. GDL programs introduce driving while under conditions that minimize risk. These restrictions differ from state to state but usually involve phone use, passengers and nighttime driving.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the first graduated driver licensing programs began in 1996, and since then, teenage crash deaths have declined by 57%. These programs and adult role models can help teen drivers be safer on the road and prevent crashes and accidents, especially around distracted driving. GDL programs are available in each state. It's important to note that each state has its laws and requirements. Check the resources provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to find out the specific regulations applicable in your area.

We all face multiple distractions on the road: visual, manual, auditory and cognitive. You can take action before and during your drive to stay focused and attentive behind the wheel.

There are a host of anti-distraction technologies and tools designed to help us stay focused and safe. Here are some that are making a difference:

Although these technologies can help reduce the risk of distracted driving, they are not a substitute for attentive driving. Remember, safety is always the best policy when you're behind the wheel.

It will take all of us to prevent distracted driving and save 3,000 lives a year. Community leaders from the local, state and federal levels work every day to promote safer driving habits and implement initiatives to prevent distracted driving.

Many cities and state governments run public service announcement campaigns to create healthy habits like safe driving. These local municipalities work with businesses and nonprofits to advocate for distracted driving laws and training. For example, the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital works in the local community to promote its SMART tips, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia offers guides to help teenagers learn safe driving habits.

Employers turn to the National Safety Council for guidance and best practices. It offers a Safe Driving Kit to build leadership support for smart cellphone policies. The NSC provides case studies like Sentinel Transportation which implements advanced driver assistance systems to monitor its commercial fleet.

Responding to the alarming rise in traffic fatalities, the NHTSA began studying distracted driving and started campaigns to raise awareness. Working with the Department of Transportation, the NHTSA created the “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” campaign featuring graphic videos showing the consequences of texting and driving for teens.

There are several agencies committed to ending distracted driving nationwide. Many, like End Distracted Driving were started by parents whose children died due to distracted driving. Impact Teen Drivers is based in Sacramento, California and focuses on ending distracted driving as a leading cause of teen death. The AAA, Safe Kids USA, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and many other groups in the U.S. and Canada have launched public outreach campaigns to get the message across that distracted driving kills.

Many high schools offer and promote driver’s education courses. These courses provide novice drivers with the knowledge and experience to create a safe driving foundation. Teen-specific courses focus on the dangers of distracted driving. Some, like Distractology, include driving simulations to show teenagers how distractions impact their driving.

Insurers can significantly promote safe driving habits by incentivizing good behaviors and driver safety training programs. They are also a key player in Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, which supports enforceable laws to punish distracted driving. Insurance associations also support the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It studies and educates people about the dangers on the road, including distracted driving.

Distracted driving can impact auto insurance rates like most unsafe driving habits. To what degree your rates are affected depends on state regulations and if you cause an accident. A clean driving record is one of the best ways to reduce your car insurance costs. An accident is likely to increase your premiums.

"If an insurance carrier can prove you were distracted when the accident happened and you were the cause, then that's a factor (in determining your premium)," says Justin Klepado, claims service manager at CSAA Insurance Group. "We'll assess the cost to fix the damage, and that will be considered when renewing your policy."

Multiple factors determine your auto insurance rates, including your age, vehicle and driving record. If you cause an accident, it impacts your driving record, and you can become a risk factor for your insurance provider. How much your premiums might increase depends on your insurance carrier and the rest of your driving record, among other circumstances. If this occurs, it will help to shop around and compare quotes for your most affordable options.

"If you receive a citation for improper driving and that gets reported and recorded on your DMV record, that's a factor insurance carriers use to determine if you are a high, low or medium risk driver, and it will impact your premium," says Klepado. One citation alone may not change your premium, but it can.

Insurance companies can cancel policies after an accident, but most won’t take that drastic measure after a first collision. However, if you are at-fault for driving intoxicated or were distracted, they can take more severe steps. Teenagers caught texting and driving are most at risk of dropped coverage because they are already in a high-risk insurance category.

There are several great resources available to help you better understand the dangers of distracted driving. These resources can also help you discuss the issue with teenagers and take proactive steps to improve your driving behaviors.

• AAA's "Are you driving Intexticated?": AAA works to stop distracted driving with videos to help educate every driver of the dangers and provide actionable tips.
• Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety: This organization evaluates the distracted driving laws in each state and offers recommendations for improving them.
• CDC Transportation Safety: The CDC has updated statistics to understand the extent of the problem and proven best practices to reduce distracted driving.
• Distractology: Founded in the New England area, this driving simulator helps educate young drivers about the impact of distracted driving while behind the wheel.
• Drive SMART: From the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, this website offers guides and kits to set up safe driving habits for teenagers.
• EndDD: Founded following the death of Casey Feldman by a distracted driver, this foundation offers webinars, lesson plans and in-school lectures about the dangers of distracted driving, specifically for young drivers.
• Governors Highway Safety Administration: This site provides an interactive map with a state-by-state breakdown of distracted driving laws.
• IIHS: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety breaks down cellphones and crash risk as well as laws in each state for hand-held phones, texting and young drivers.
• Impact Teen National Safety Drivers: Impact Teen Drivers is a Sacramento, California-based group working to end distracted driving as a leading cause of teen death.
• It Can Wait: AT&T started the campaign, but it now includes dozens of other organizations. You can access a distracted driving kit and lots of public education materials on their website.
• NHTSA: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has an active campaign to stop distracted driving, including a pledge you can sign to commit to driving phone-free.
• The National Safety Council: The NSC provides free posters, tips, videos and other resources to get the word out about distracted driving. It also offers employers a cellphone policy kit to help them get their employees off the phone when on the road.