How much is the risk of a crash increased when a driver is texting?

1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving. Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk. Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds.

What percentage of accidents are caused by texting and driving?

Fatalities involving texting while driving comprised 9\% of all fatal crashes nationwide. 7\% of drivers are using cell phones (including making a phone call) at any given time. Texting while driving increases by 400\% a driver’s time spent with their eyes off the road.

How much more likely are you to crash while on phone?

Research shows: You are 4 times more likely to be in a crash if you use your phone. Your reaction times are 2 times slower if you text and drive than if you drink drive, and this increases to 3 times if you use a handheld phone.

What percentage (\%) of collisions involve distracted driving?

A distraction- affected crash is any crash in which a driver was identi- fied as distracted at the time of the crash. Nine percent of fatal crashes, 15 percent of injury crashes, and 15 percent of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2019 were reported as distraction-affected crashes.

What happens if you cause an accident while texting?

What if You Cause an Accident While Texting? If you kill or injure someone while texting and driving (or using your phone illegally in another way), you could face much higher fines, jail time, and license suspension.

How many deaths are caused by texting and driving in 2019?

Using a cell phone while driving creates enormous potential for deaths and injuries on U.S. roads. In 2019, 3,142 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.

How many deaths are caused by texting and driving?

America has a dangerous epidemic of texting while driving that strongly increases risk to everyone on the roads. At any given moment, 660,000 drivers are using a cell phone while operating a vehicle. Every year, about 400 fatal crashes are caused by texting and driving, according to the NHTSA.

Who is most likely to text and drive?

Drivers under 25 are much more likely to text while driving than all other age groups, and the incidence of texting while driving drops with every age group to less than 1\% for those 65 and older. For those who text while driving, most continue to drive.

What percentage of accidents are caused by cell phones?

Fatal Crashes Involving Distracted Drivers, 2019

Has distracted driving increased?

There were 36,096 fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2019, a 2\% reduction from 2018 and the lowest rate for vehicle miles travelled since 2014. There was however, a 9.9\% increase in distracted driving fatalities to 3,142 (284 more than 2018), representing 8.7\% of all fatalities in 2019.

Is texting and driving manslaughter?

Most cases of death due to distracted driving (texting) are classified as vehicular homicide rather than murder. In order for a death be considered a murder, one must prove it was done with malicious intent. Manslaughter, on the other hand, is a death caused by negligence.

Can you sue someone for hitting you while texting and driving?

So what if someone on their phone hits your car? The law gives you options. While the criminal penalty they face is light, you’re still able to sue them and receive compensation. Legally, if the other driver was texting, it substantially increases your chances of winning your case.