How Distracted Driving Leads to Thousands of Preventable Car Accidents Every Year

In 2023 alone, 3,275 people were killed because of distracted drivers. That’s not just a number. That’s thousands of lives gone because someone couldn’t wait to answer a text or got distracted by something that didn’t need to happen while driving. Distracted driving causes crashes that should never happen, and almost all of them could have been prevented.

If you’ve ever been hit by a distracted driver, you already know how fast everything changes. These crashes happen in seconds, but the impact can last for years. Things get even more serious when you think about medical bills, car damage, and legal stuff that follows. That’s why filing a claim after a distracted driving collision can be an important step. It helps cover your losses and makes sure the person responsible is held accountable. But even better than dealing with it afterward is preventing it in the first place.

What Counts as Distracted Driving?

Distracted driving is any activity that takes your attention away from driving. That includes:

• Texting or talking on the phone, even with hands-free devices
• Eating or drinking, like sipping coffee or snacking
• Adjusting the radio, GPS, or climate controls
• Talking to passengers, especially if you’re turning to look at them
• Looking at things outside the car, like billboards or accidents

The most dangerous kind of distraction is texting. Sending or reading a message takes your eyes off the road for about five seconds. At highway speeds, that’s the same as driving the full length of a football field blind.

How Distracted Driving Actually Causes Crashes

Your brain can’t fully focus on two things at once. When you’re driving and something else grabs your attention, even for a few seconds, your brain has to quickly switch between tasks. This delay in reaction is enough to cause a crash. 

Drivers who are distracted might drift between lanes, miss stop signs, or fail to notice that the car in front of them has stopped. They might swerve too late or not brake in time.

Crashes from distracted driving often happen at full speed because the driver doesn’t even notice the danger until it’s too late. In many cases, they don’t break at all. That’s part of why these accidents are so deadly.

Extended Impact of Distracted Driving 

Distracted driving not only affects the driver. In 2019, about 1 in 5 people killed in crashes caused by distracted drivers weren’t even in cars. They were walking, riding bikes, or just nearby when it happened. That means innocent people who were doing nothing wrong lost their lives because someone else couldn’t stay focused.

Other drivers also face danger. When one person drives distracted, other drivers may have to make sudden moves to avoid a crash. That can cause chain reactions on busy roads and highways. Someone else’s mistake puts everyone else at risk, not just themselves.

Numbers Showing the Full Weight and Impact of Distracted Driving

Here are stats that show just how much of a problem distracted driving is:

1. 3,275 people died in 2023 in distracted driving crashes
2. 391,000 people were injured in 2015 because of distracted drivers
3. 58% of teen crashes involved some form of distraction
4. 9 people die every day in the U.S. because of distracted driving
5. 25% of all crash deaths are linked to distractions
6. Teens aged 16–19 are 3x more likely to die in a crash than older drivers
7. It only takes 3 seconds of not looking at the road for a crash to happen

Most of These Accidents Are Preventable

That’s the frustrating part. Almost every one of these crashes could have been avoided. It only takes about three seconds of looking away for a crash to happen. If people just waited until they parked to send a text or change the music, thousands of lives could be saved. 

Distracted driving is called the new drunk driving because it follows the same pattern of people doing it, thinking they’ll be fine, until one day, they’re not.

And the truth is, almost everyone has done it at some point. About 80% of drivers admit to doing things like steering with their knee, eating, fixing their hair, or using their phone while driving. The problem is that people think they can multitask, but the human brain doesn’t work that way. You’re either driving or you’re distracted; there’s no in-between.