Exploring the Risks of Distracted Driving: Smartphone Usage

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Distracted driving has become a significant issue around the world. As smartphones and other digital devices become more enmeshed in our daily lives, ignoring them while behind the wheel can be increasingly difficult. 

However, to avoid potentially life-threatening consequences, drivers need to avoid using their smartphones as they can be distracting and lead to accidents. Texting and talking on the phone are only a few types of distracted driving. Aside from mobile phone usage, there are plenty of other distractions drivers face: other passengers, GPSs, using the radio, and more.

In this blog post, we’ll look at the risks of distracted driving, particularly using a smartphone while driving, some statistics about distracted driving, what’s being done to prevent this phenomenon, and more. 

Understanding Distracted Driving

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Distracted driving happens when a driver’s attention is diverted away from the road and onto something else, increasing the risk of an accident. Distractions can come in many forms, such as:

• Visual distractions occur when a driver takes their eyes off the road to look at a cell phone, GPS, another passenger, or something else
• A manual distraction involves removing one or both hands from the steering wheel to reach for an object, adjust the radio, enter GPS coordinates, text on a cell phone, eat, apply makeup, or even drink a coffee while driving
• Cognitive distractions happen when a driver’s mind isn’t focused on driving and instead, they find themselves daydreaming, talking on the phone, or preoccupied with other thoughts or conversations
• Auditory distractions are when sounds unrelated to driving take your attention away from the road, such as conversations, something happening outside your vehicle, your children in the backseat, or even loud music

Any of these distractions can impair a driver’s ability to stay focused on the road or react to changing road conditions and can lead to an accident. Even brief distractions can have serious consequences and distracted driving leads to thousands of accidents, injuries, and fatalities every year. In 2022 alone, distracted driving claimed 3,308 lives in the US. 

The Impact of Distracted Driving on Road Safety

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To better understand the serious impact distracted driving has on road safety, let’s look at some numbers that prove how dangerous distracted driving really is:

• Drivers are 10 times more at risk of causing an accident or crashing if they’re using a mobile phone 
• Even taking your eyes off your phone for 5 seconds to send or read a text is the equivalent of driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed
• 48 states have banned texting and driving and 24 have also banned handheld cellphone use
• In 2021, the 15-20 year old age group had the highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in a fatal accident

There’s no denying the dangers of distracted driving. On the bright side, avoiding distracted driving and adopting attentive driving behaviors is easily achievable. Attentive driving involves a heightened focus on the road and your surroundings, making it easier to spot and quickly respond to potential hazards. Attentive drivers are also more likely to obey traffic laws and practice defensive driving. 

In many cases, the key difference between a distracted driver and an attentive is that attentive drivers don’t touch their phones while behind the wheel and take precautions to also not get distracted by other factors like adjusting their GPS, radio, or eating.

Strategies to Combat Distracted Driving

On both national and state levels, authorities are taking steps to combat distracted driving to reduce the amount of fatal accidents it causes every year. This is done through a combination of different approaches.

Educational Campaigns

The Dive – Really Scary (:30) | Distracted Driving Prevention

Campaigns including public service announcements, ads, school programs, and community events aim to educate drivers about the risks of distracted driving. Through increased awareness, these campaigns strive to change the attitudes drivers have and encourage them to avoid distracted driving and stay focused.

Law Enforcement

Most states have implemented laws that prohibit the use of mobile devices in some capacity while driving. Law enforcement agencies have a role in enforcing these laws through patrols and checkpoints to help deter drivers from using cell phones while driving and to promote safer driving habits.

Hand-free Technology

Another way to combat distracted driving is through promoting hands-free technology, such as Bluetooth devices and voice controls that allow drivers to use their phones without taking their hands off the wheel or their eyes off the road. With these hands-free technologies, drivers can reduce the risk of accidents, though it’s still important to remain cognitively aware even when using hands-free devices.

Smartphone Usage Behind the Wheel

Using a cell phone can reduce a driver’s attention by as much as 37%. While smartphones have become an essential part of modern life, using them behind the wheel comes with serious risks. Smartphones can trigger all four types of distractions when driving simultaneously, making them particularly dangerous to use. For example:

• Smartphones provide a visual distraction when drivers check notifications or use apps that take their eyes off the road
• They can also be a manual distraction when drivers hold their phones, reducing a driver’s ability to control their vehicle
• Cognitively, engaging in a phone call or even using voice commands can distract drivers too
• The constant pinging of notifications can tempt drivers to check their phones, even just for a second, diverting their attention from driving and causing an auditory distraction

According to the NHTSA, 2.5% of all drivers on the road at any given moment are talking on their phones, meaning it’s not only important to avoid distracted driving, but also to be attentive enough to look out for other distracted drivers who can cause accidents. 

How Driven2Drive Promotes Safe Driving Habits

At Driven2Drive, distracted driver awareness is an essential part of all our driving lessons. All of our instructors incorporate learning about distracted driving and how to avoid it in their lesson plans so that new driving students know what types of distractions to look out for when behind the wheel.

Additionally, we always encourage new drivers to be mindful of smartphone usage and avoid texting and driving so that their focus remains on driving and not on other harmful distractions. At Driven2Drive, we also teach our students defensive driving techniques so that they can be better equipped to handle different hazards that can occur on the road, such as other distracted drivers.

Legal Implications of Distracted Driving

Distracted driving isn’t only dangerous, it’s also illegal. While some states have banned texting and driving, others have introduced laws banning drivers from even holding a smartphone while behind the wheel.

While laws related to distracted driving or texting and driving vary between states, any drivers found using their phone while driving are likely to face fines or legal consequences. Drivers charged with using their phones or distracted driving can face:

• Fines
• Demerit points
• License suspension
• Increased insurance rates
• Lawsuits and criminal charges if distracted driving results in injury or death

By recognizing the dangers of distracted driving and taking proactive steps to eliminate distractions, you can help create safer roads for everyone. Remember, it only takes a moment of distraction to change lives forever.

Preventing Distracted Driving With Driven2Drive

Avoiding distracted driving is critical to becoming a safe driver, not only to protect yourself but also others on the road. When you just start as a new driver, it’s important to pick up these good habits, so selecting a reputable driving school like Driven2Drive that promotes both defensive and attentive driving will help you learn safe driving practices early on.

Aside from safe driving habits, invest in hands-free technology that will allow you to use voice commands if you need to answer an important call while driving. These technologies have become quite reliable and many drivers switch to hands-free mobile solutions when behind the wheel.

Related Resources:

• The Three Basic Principles of Defensive Driving
• Defensive Driving Techniques: Simple Road Safety
• 6 Common Mistakes New Drivers Make & How to Avoid Them
• The Top 10 Safe Driving Habits Every Teenager Should Adopt
• Preparing Your Teen for Driver’s Ed: Getting Ready to Drive