Texting While Driving Statistics

Texting while driving occurs when an individual writes text messages, sends text messages, reads text messages, reads email, or makes similar use of the web and connection features on a cellular phone while driving. Texting while driving is considered by many authorities as a very dangerous activity. Texting while driving is also often the reason for various motor vehicle accidents. Because of this, texting while driving has restricted or outlawed in certain jurisdictions. Texting while driving leads to an increase of distraction behind the wheel. Here are some informative texting while driving statistics from the Center for Disease Control.

Texting While Driving Statistics: Severity of the Problem

• In 2009, over 5,400 people died in vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved a distracted driver. In the same year, nearly 448,000 were injured as a result of these accidents.
• Among car crashes that resulted in death or injury, nearly 1,000 deaths and 24,000 injuries involved cell phone use as the main driving distraction.
• The proportion of vehicle drivers reportedly distracted during the time of a fatal crash has increased between 2005 and 2990 from 7 percent to 11 percent.
• When asked whether individuals who are driving feels safer, about the same, or less safe as they did five years ago, more than a third of drivers responded that they felt driving was less safe today. The largest reason for this feeling was due to the concern of distracted drivers and texting while driving. Statistics showed that three out of every ten drivers worried about this.

Texting While Driving Statistics: Analysis of Driving Distractions

A recent CDC analysis closely looked at the frequency of two major distractions, texting and cell phone among United States drivers and seven European countries (France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom). They found the following texting while driving statistics:

Texting While Driving Statistics: Cell phone use

• 25 percent of drivers in the United States said that they fairly often or regularly talk on their cell phones while driving.
• In Europe, these percentages ranged from 3 percent in the United Kingdom to 21 percent in the Netherlands.
• 75 percent of United States drivers between the ages of 18 and 29 reported that they talked on their mobile phones while driving at least one time in the past 30 days, and nearly 40 percent of these drivers reported that they talk on their mobile phones fairly often or regularly while driving.
• In Europe, the percentages of young adults who reported using their cell while driving at least one time in the past 30 days ranged between 30 percent in the Netherlands and 50 percent in Portugal.Texting While Driving Statistics: Texting and Emailing
• 9 percent of vehicle drivers in the United States reported e-mailing or driving fairly often or regularly while driving.
• In Europe, these percentages ranged from 1 percent in the United Kingdom to 10 percent in the Netherlands.
• 52 percent of United States drivers between the ages of 18 and 29 reported e-mailing or texting while driving at least one time in the last 30 days, and more than a 25 percent report e-mailing or texting fairly often or regularly while driving.
• In Europe, the percentages of young adults who reported e-mailing or texting while driving at least one time in the past 30 days ranged between 17 percent in the United Kingdom and 44 percent in Portugal.

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