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Distracted Driving Deaths Decline in 2009

by Warren Riddle on September 21, 2010 at 05:15 PM

using phone while driving Most motorists are, by now, fully aware of the dangers of tech-related driving distractions. U.S. drivers even support, almost universally, outright bans on various vehicular phone activities. Apparently, the laws against in-car mobile usage, the terrifying government campaigns and the gory scare tactics intended to frighten the text out of drivers are finally starting to achieve their desired effect.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released the 2009 statistics for distracted driving. The numbers indicate that vehicular fatalities declined from previous years, although distracted driving did play a role in 16-percent of all fatal crashes, and claimed the lives of 5,474 people. Cell phones in particular contributed directly to 995 U.S. roadway deaths and 24,000 injuries -- perhaps the most recent of which being the brain death of 53-year old deliveryman Tian Sheng Lin after being struck by the car of a texting 19-year old in Brooklyn. In 2005, prior to the anti-texting-and-talking tactics, 10-percent of fatal accidents and 4,472 deaths resulted from distracted driving.

Distraction-related deaths reached a peak in 2007 with 5,917 fatalities, but the number slipped to 5,838 in 2008 before declining again last year. As a percentage of all vehicular fatalities, though, distracted driving deaths remain at a five year high of 16-percent.

So, since teens and adults continue to thumb their nose at authorities -- despite the inherent, well known dangers of distracted driving -- perhaps it's time to enact stricter standards. Teens reportedly represent the most predominant group of preoccupied drivers, so bubble-wrapping hard objects and issuing phone-jamming car keys could be a solid start. But, since the NHTSA believes "30- to 39-year olds had the highest proportion of cell phone involvement" in fatal crashes, kids and parents may just have to fight over who is most deserving of an automotive smartphone intervention.

Tags: DepartmentOfTransportation, DistractedDriving, driving, teens, texting, textingwhiledriving, top

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