We here at RSTGarage want to help end distracted driving by helping other understand what distracted driving is, what happens when you drive distracted, and how to take the pledge to end distracted driving.

According to distraction.gov, distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety.

These types of distractions include:

• Using a phone to text, message, IM or engage in a keyboard or voice activated communication.
• Using a cell phone or smart phone to dial and engage in a conversation.
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to other passengers
• Putting on makeup, shaving with an electric razor, fixing hair, or other grooming
• Reading, including studying, looking over work items, and reading maps
• Using a navigation system
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 device

But, because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction.

TAKE THE PLEDGE TO END DISTRACTED DRIVING

The best way to end distracted driving is to educate all Americans about the danger it poses. On this page, you’ll find facts and statistics that are powerfully persuasive. If you don’t already think distracted driving is a safety problem, please take a moment to learn more. And, as with everything on Distraction.gov, please share these facts with others. Together, we can help save lives.

Learn More About the Dangers of Distracted Driving

Key Facts and Statistics

• The number of people killed in distraction-affected crashes decreased slightly from 3,360 in 2011 to 3,328 in 2012. An estimated 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver, this was a nine percent increase from the estimated 387,000 people injured in 2011.
• As of December 2012, 171.3 billion text messages were sent in the US (includes PR, the Territories, and Guam) every month.(CTIA)
• 10% of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.
• Drivers in their 20s make up 27 percent of the distracted drivers in fatal crashes. (NHTSA)
• At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010.(NOPUS)
• Engaging in visual-manual subtasks (such as reaching for a phone, dialing and texting) associated with the use of hand-held phones and other portable devices increased the risk of getting into a crash by three times. (VTTI)
• Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded. (2009, VTTI)
• Headset cell phone use is not substantially safer than hand-held use. (VTTI)
• A quarter of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive. 20 percent of teens and 10 percent of parents admit that they have extended, multi-message text conversations while driving. (UMTRI)

GET THE FACTS ABOUT THE RESEARCH ABOUT DISTRACTION AND CRASH RISK

On December 8, 2011, NHTSA released a new measure of fatalities related to distracted driving, called “distraction-affected crashes.” NHTSA’s adoption of the new “distraction-affected crash” measure for the 2010 FARS data is one step in a continuing effort to focus on driver distraction and separate it from other issues. The new measure is designed to focus more narrowly on crashes in which a driver was most likely to have been distracted. NHTSA will continue to look for improved data sources.