Distracted Driving Statistics and Facts

Distracted driving statistics show that distraction contributes to thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of crashes each year, though some risk indicators improved in 2024. National data for 2023 show how often distraction contributes to serious crashes.

Safety organizations note that distraction is often underreported, so these statistics likely underestimate the true impact. Learn more about preventing distracted driving and staying safe on the road.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research shows a consistent pattern. In both 2022 and 2023, distraction was recorded in 8% of fatal crashes, 13% of injury crashes and 11% to 13% of all police-reported crashes.

The data show a sharp increase in distraction-affected crashes between 2022 and 2023. Fatal distraction crashes decreased slightly, but injury crashes rose 12% and property-damage-only crashes jumped 24%. This drove a 20% increase in total distraction-affected crashes and raised their share from 11% to 13% of all police-reported crashes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nine people are killed every day in crashes involving a reported distracted driver, consistent with recent fatality totals.

The 2023 data show clear patterns across age groups in distracted driving crashes.

Drivers ages 15 to 20 had the highest distraction rate at 7%, making them the age group most likely to be distracted in fatal crashes. The 25 to 34 age group shows a different pattern. While their distraction rate of 6% is just above average, they made up 710 of 3,143 distracted drivers in fatal crashes — 23% of all distraction-involved drivers. This is the highest share of any age group and reflects both the size of this age group on the roads and their crash involvement patterns.

Among distracted drivers using cellphones, the 25 to 34 age group led with 88 drivers. This represents 12% of distracted drivers in that age group. Cellphone use among distracted drivers falls sharply with age: only 8% of distracted drivers ages 65 to 74 and 2% of those 75 and older were using phones at the time of the crash.

In 2023, 611 non-occupant deaths (pedestrians, cyclists and others outside vehicles) occurred in distraction-affected crashes, showing the danger for people not inside the striking vehicle.

Cellphones are one of the most measurable and studied forms of driver distraction. Crash data show the consequences of phone use behind the wheel, while behavioral surveys reveal how widespread the problem is. Telematics studies provide real-world evidence linking phone interaction time to crash risk, and state-by-state patterns show wide variation in both behavior and outcomes.

Crash Risk From Phone Use

In 2023, 369 fatal crashes were reported as involving cellphone use among distracted drivers, causing 397 deaths. In 2022, cellphones were involved in 62,475 distraction-related crashes: 18,780 injury crashes, 43,327 property-damage-only crashes and 368 fatal crashes, with 402 deaths.

Telematics research from Cambridge Mobile Telematics and the Governors Highway Safety Association shows that drivers in the most phone-distracted 10% were 240% more likely to crash than drivers in the least distracted 10%. Drivers in the 10 most distracted states had a 7.8% higher chance of injury or death in distraction-related crashes. Rhode Island drivers had a 14% higher fatal crash risk than Oregon drivers, averaging more than 2 minutes of phone use per hour — the nation's highest.

Phone distraction patterns vary widely by state, as do overall driver safety rankings, reflecting differences in laws, enforcement and driving culture.

How Often Drivers Use Phones

Survey data show common behaviors that drive distracted driving statistics. The 2023 Travelers Risk Index for consumers found that 80% of drivers say they make phone calls while driving. Fifty-seven percent interact with handheld devices, including reading incoming texts or emails, and 49% compose written messages behind the wheel. Twenty-eight percent check or update social media and 27% take photos or videos while driving.

Many drivers report driving while tired or emotionally charged, which increases the likelihood that any distraction will lead to a crash.

Recent telematics data offer good news in distracted driving statistics. Cambridge Mobile Telematics reports that phone-based distraction fell 8.6% in 2024, the second consecutive year of improvement. This decline prevented an estimated 105,000 crashes, 59,000 injuries and 480 fatalities, avoiding $4.2 billion in economic damages. Average phone screen interaction dropped to 1 minute 56 seconds per driving hour, and phone-motion distraction fell to 1 minute 22 seconds per hour, reaching or dropping below pre-pandemic levels.

These early indicators suggest that stronger laws, enforcement, technology changes and public awareness campaigns are reducing phone-related distraction risk.

For comprehensive prevention strategies and expert guidance, see MoneyGeek's distracted driving guide.

Legal rules shape how often distracted driving accident statistics show up in official records and what penalties drivers incur. As of mid-2025, 30 states plus Washington, D.C., have full hands-free laws that prohibit all drivers from using handheld cellphones while driving. This is up from the high-20s just a few years earlier. Forty-nine states and Washington, D.C., ban texting while driving for all drivers after Missouri adopted a statewide hands-free and texting law in 2023.

Montana is the only state without a statewide texting ban, though several Montana cities, including Billings, Bozeman and Missoula, enforce local bans. Many states restrict phone use for young or novice drivers and apply higher penalties in school zones and active work zones.

Penalty amounts vary widely. In California, base fines for handheld violations start at $20 for a first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses, but total costs with fees reach $160 for a first offense and $285 for later violations. In Alabama, a June 2024 hands-free law uses secondary enforcement. Fines escalate from $50 for a first offense to $150 for a third or later offense and one to three license points per violation. A first offense can be dismissed if the driver purchases a hands-free device.

States including Illinois and Florida impose higher fines and potential license consequences when distracted driving leads to injuries or occurs in school or construction zones.

Because state laws continue to evolve, drivers should check current state resources for exact rules and penalties, especially when traveling across state lines.

Beyond crash counts, distracted driving statistics include economic impact. NHTSA estimates show that in 2019, the most recent year with a full cost analysis, distracted-driving crashes created $98 billion in economic costs. This includes lost productivity, medical and emergency services, legal costs, insurance administration, property damage and congestion. When quality-of-life losses are included, the total societal harm from distracted-driving crashes reached $395 billion in 2019, out of $1.37 trillion in harms from all motor-vehicle crashes.

These figures explain why lawmakers, insurers and employers focus on distraction even when annual fatality counts fluctuate.

A distracted driving ticket raises full-coverage car insurance premiums 9% to 51%, with most increases falling in the 27% to 32% range, roughly $600 per year in additional costs. The impact depends on your state, insurer and driving record. Offset these increases by shopping around and claiming all available discounts.

Major insurers increase rates 15% to 20% for a first texting violation, while others raise premiums 35% to 50% or more. These surcharges typically stay on your record for three to five years in most states. Idaho, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Washington limit or prohibit using texting-only tickets in rate calculations.

Multiple moving violations, including distraction-related misdemeanors, trigger policy non-renewal under state rules and insurer guidelines, especially when paired with at-fault crashes. Serious violations require SR-22 insurance certification to maintain driving privileges.

Teen drivers figure prominently in distracted driving crash statistics, and their accidents prove expensive. Teen premiums run 50% to 100% higher than adult rates, with 16-year-olds averaging $7,658 annually. That's roughly 2.5 times what a 30-year-old pays. An 18-year-old with a texting-while-driving violation pays about $538 per month for full coverage due to the dual risk factors of age and distraction.

Teen drivers without violations offset high premiums through good student discounts, defensive driving courses and bundling policies with parents.

Generational survey data show that 68% of Gen Z drivers admit to texting while driving, compared with one-third of baby boomers. This explains why younger drivers show up so often in distraction-related crash and violation statistics. Parents and guardians can reduce these risks by setting clear phone rules, limiting passengers, choosing affordable vehicles to insure and using telematics or monitoring tools when adding teens to their policies.

People often search distracted driving vs. drunk driving statistics to compare these risks. National Security Council (NSC) data show that alcohol-impaired driving causes more deaths than distraction, but distraction is more widespread in everyday driving and is often underreported in crash data. CDC and safety research emphasize that both alcohol and distraction reduce reaction time and attention, but distraction is often normalized because phone use and multitasking are common outside the car.

Together, these statistics show that while drunk driving is deadlier per crash, reducing distraction could prevent many everyday crashes that add up to substantial human and economic costs. Drivers can access resources on distraction prevention through their insurance providers and state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) websites.