Distracted Driving: Why It’s Dangerous and How You Can Stay Safe

Distracted driving is a prominent risk for drivers in the United States, as it results in hundreds of injuries daily and thousands of deaths annually. Staying focused on the road and raising awareness about the dangers of distracted driving are crucial for preventing bodily injury or death, major property damage, legal penalties and higher car insurance premiums.

Distracted driving is any activity that takes a driver’s eyes off the road, hands off the wheel or mind off driving — increasing the risk of a crash.

Continue reading to learn more about the importance of distracted driving awareness, along with distracted driving statistics and examples of common distractions.

On This Page

• 

  What Is Distracted Driving?

• 

  Types of Distracted Driving

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  What Are the Consequences of Distracted Driving?

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  How To Prevent Distracted Driving

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  What To Do if You Get a Distracted Driving Citation

• 

  Distracted Driving at a Glance

• 

  FAQs

What Is Distracted Driving?

Distracted driving refers to risky driving behaviors that draw a driver’s attention away from the road. One of the most common — and dangerous — driver distractions is texting and driving. If you spend five seconds looking at your phone to read or type a text message while driving 55 mph, you’ll travel the equivalent of a full football field without looking at what’s in front of you.^[1]

How Often Do Distracted Driving Accidents Occur?

Distracted driving played a role in 8% of fatal car accidents in the United States in 2023. In total, 3,275 people died and about 325,000 people were injured in distracted driving accidents that year. This comes out to roughly nine fatalities and almost 900 injuries nationwide every single day due to drivers who fail to pay attention behind the wheel — making distracted driving a significant crash risk factor for Americans.^[2]

Types of Distracted Driving

Drivers can be visually, manually or cognitively distracted when they’re on the road — and in some cases, they may be distracted in multiple ways at the same time.^[3] See the following sections for more information about each type of distracted driving.

Visual Driving Distractions

Visual driving distractions are interruptions that prompt you to look away from the road.^[3] Looking at a cellphone, a GPS or another electronic device is perhaps the most common example of a visual distraction, but other things could also draw your eyes while you’re behind the wheel. For example, you could be distracted if you notice a bug on your windshield or stare at police cars and ambulances at an accident scene as you drive by.

Bear in mind that any brief glance away from traffic while driving is likely to delay your reaction time and increase your risk of a crash.

Manual Driving Distractions

A manual driving distraction is any distraction that requires you to take either or both of your hands off the steering wheel.^[3] For example, drivers often put themselves at risk by eating and drinking, changing the radio station, adjusting the temperature in their car or picking up their phone to answer a call. Other possible manual distractions include smoking, putting on makeup, combing your hair and tending to a pet in the passenger seat.

Cognitive Driving Distractions

Anything that takes your mind off driving can be classified as a cognitive driving distraction.^[3] These distractions are often more subtle because they don’t require you to divert your eyes or hands, but they can still inhibit your focus and increase your odds of getting into a collision. Talking to others in the car, listening to loud music, engaging in road rage and daydreaming are examples of cognitive distractions.

Texting is especially risky because it requires you to take a hand off the wheel, look away from the road and think about something besides driving, meaning it fits into all three categories.

What Are the Consequences of Distracted Driving?

Some of the most serious consequences of distracted driving occur in motor vehicle crashes — including serious property damage, bodily injury and death. Distracted driving also disrupts normal traffic flow, as drivers are more likely to drift out of their lane and drive slowly when they are distracted.^[4] As a result, distracted driving creates an inconvenient and inefficient environment for all drivers, even when it doesn’t directly result in a crash.

There may also be legal penalties associated with distracted driving, since texting and other types of handheld phone use are against the law for drivers in most states. Distracted driving infractions usually result in a fine, though some states also require jail time. In addition, you are generally more likely to be held liable for a collision if you were distracted or otherwise breaking the law when it occurred.^[5]

Finally, consider the financial consequences stemming from distracted driving. If you are at fault for a distracted driving accident, your car insurance premiums could go up by as much as 50%.^[6] Even if you aren’t fully responsible for the crash, you could be deemed partially liable if you were distracted when it happened — potentially limiting your ability to recover economic damages from the at-fault driver, depending on your state.^[7]

How To Prevent Distracted Driving

Following distracted driving tips like these can lower the odds that you or your loved ones will be involved in a car accident related to distracted driving:^[2][8][9]

1. Encourage your friends to focus when they’re behind the wheel — especially if you are in the car with them and see them get distracted.
2. Share distracted driving facts and statistics on social media.
3. Set an example for your children by paying attention to the road when you’re driving with them, if applicable.
4. Actively scan the road to make sure you are constantly aware of your surroundings.
5. Put your phone and any other loose items out of reach while you are driving.
6. Adjust your seat, mirrors and GPS before you start driving instead of midway through your drive.
7. Pull over if you need to eat, finish getting ready, tend to a child or do anything else that could distract you.
8. Let your passenger respond to text messages, adjust the temperature and change the music for you, if applicable.
9. Refrain from multitasking by putting off any necessary tasks until after your trip is over.
10. Look into mobile apps that can reduce distractions while you drive.
11. Study your state’s laws surrounding texting and other distractions for drivers.
12. Establish consequences for your teen drivers in the event that they are caught driving distracted, if applicable.

What To Do if You Get a Distracted Driving Citation

If you are pulled over and assessed a citation for distracted driving — sometimes referred to as a distracted driving ticket — you need to take the following steps:^[10]

1. Remain polite and levelheaded in your interactions with the police officer.
2. Ask the officer questions to make sure you understand why you have been pulled over.
3. Verify whether the information listed on the ticket is correct.
4. Write down your own account of what happened so you can clearly and accurately present your side of the story in court, if necessary.
5. Research your state’s distracted driving laws so you can understand the standard of proof needed to convict you of a traffic offense.
6. Contact a lawyer and contest the ticket if you believe it was issued unfairly or incorrectly.
7. Plead guilty and pay the associated fine if you cannot reasonably contest the citation.
8. See if you can get the fine waived and the offense removed from your record by attending a defensive driving course or some other type of driving school.

What To Do if You’re Involved in a Distracted Driving Accident

Drivers involved in an accident with another distracted driver need to do the following things:^[11]

1. Pull over to a safe place to avoid blocking traffic and incurring further injuries.
2. Call 911 so first responders can tend to anyone who is injured and police officers can fill out a police report.
3. Exchange contact information, driver’s license and license plate numbers and insurance information with the other driver.
4. Talk to any witnesses who saw the crash, and collect their contact information.
5. Contact an insurance agent or another insurance company representative for guidance on filing a car insurance claim.

Even if the accident seems minor, it’s still best to call the police and have them document the scene in case there is unseen damage or the other driver later tries to sue you.^[11]

Distracted Driving at a Glance

• Definition: Distracted driving occurs when a driver’s attention is diverted from the road — whether visually, manually or cognitively.
• Risk level: Even brief distractions can delay reaction time and significantly increase crash risk.
• Most dangerous behavior: Texting while driving combines all three types of distraction — making it one of the highest-risk activities behind the wheel.
• Legal impact: Many states prohibit texting and handheld phone use, with penalties that may include fines or jail time.
• Insurance impact: A distracted driving ticket or at-fault crash can lead to long-term rate increases.
• Financial exposure: Drivers may be held liable for damage, medical bills and legal costs following a distraction-related accident.
• Prevention: Avoiding distractions, setting up your vehicle before driving and staying mentally focused can reduce your risk.