Statistics Title Page.png

Safety Counts

Data and statistics drive our efforts. Facts provide important feedback on what works. We work closely with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) to coordinate our efforts with theirs for maximum impact on various road safety initiatives including distracted driving. We compare our state numbers to national statistics to constantly gauge where we stand nationwide and to anticipate trends.

According to NHTSA, 10% of fatal crashes involve driver distraction. Since most of these cases are self-reported, these numbers are thought to be greatly underreported. Traffic fatalities in New Mexico are increasing even while alcohol-involved fatalities are decreasing indicating a probable correlation to distracted driving.

2,841 people were killed by distracted driving in 2018.1

400,000 people were injured in distracted driving crashes in 2018.1

8% of all drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in fatal crashes were distracted while driving.1

17% of distracted driving fatalities in 2018 were pedestrians.1

Every 2.5 hours a person is killed in a crash involving a distracted driver.2

Texting while driving makes you 23X more likely to crash.3

The average time a driver's eyes are off the road while texting on the highway is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field blind.4

660,000 people are using their cellphones while driving on any given day.5

Teens are the largest proportion of drivers involved in fatal crashes due to distracted driving.1

1.6 million accidents a year are caused by texting while driving.6

People who drive during their work hours are more likely to be distracted behind the wheel.7

31% of drivers are distracted by their dogs in the car.8

Distracted driving costs society $40 billion a year.9

According to Surveys:

Almost 57% of people adit to eating while driving.9

10% of iPhone users and 4% of Android users admit to watching videos on YouTube while driving.9

1 in 3 female drivers admit to taking photos while driving.9

1/3 of drivers have admitted to texting while driving.10

Additional Resources:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Distracted Driving
https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving

Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA): Distracted Driving
https://www.ghsa.org/issues/distracted-driving

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS): Distracted Driving
https://www.iihs.org/topics/distracted-driving#overview

References:

1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administr. Distracted Driving 2018, DOT HS 812 926, 2020.

2. (2017, June 9). Distracted Driving. Motor Vehicle Safety. Retrieved June 28, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/index.html.

3. Richtel, M.(2009, July 27). In Study, Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin. The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/technology/28texting.html?_r=0.

4. Facts and Statistics. What Is Distracted Driving? Key Facts and Statistics. Retrieved September 8, 2016, from http://www.distraction.gov/stats-research-laws/facts-and-statistics.html.

5. (2013, april ). Traffic Safety Facts Research Note (Rep. no. DOT HS 811 719). Retrieved September 8, 2016, from https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/811719.

6. The Great Multitasking Lie. Retrieved September 8, 2016, from http://www.nsc.org/DistractedDrivingDocuments/The-Great-Multitasking-Lie-print.pdf.

7. Salminen S, Lähdeniemi E [2002]. Risk factors in work-related traffic. Transportation Research Part F 5(1):77-86.

8. Huisingh C, Levitan EB, Irvin MR, Owsley C, McGwin G Jr. Driving with pets and motor vehicle collision involvement among older drivers: A prospective population-based study. Accid Anal Prev. 2016;88:169-174. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2015.12.015.

9. Covington, Taylor. “Distracted Driving Statistics + Research [Updated 2020 Data]: The Zebra.” Distracted Driving Statistics + Research [Updated 2020 Data]| The Zebra, 18 Aug. 2020, www.thezebra.com/research/distracted-driving-statistics/.

10. Knapp, L.(2015, March 25). Erie Insurance distracted driving survey finds drivers doing all sorts of dangerous things behind the wheel—from PDA to taking selfies to changing clothes . Retrieved September 8, 2016, from https://www.erieinsurance.com/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/2015/distracted-driving.