Distracted Driving
Updated: October 2015
Distracted Driving
October 2015
Distracted driving poses a serious and potentially deadly risk to young people. In
2013, 10 percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were
reported to have been distracted while driving.1 Among all drivers, inattention is
the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes.2
Importance
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three
deaths in this age group. For every mile driven, teen drivers ages 16-19 are three times more likely than
older drivers to crash.3
Distracted driving occurs when the driver engages in any activity that may distract them from the primary
task of driving, such as eating and drinking, listening to music, using a navigation device, or using a cell
phone. The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers are those under 20. According to
official reports, in 2013, driver distraction was involved in 10 percent of all fatal crashes for this group, a
higher percentage than that for all other age groups. 4 However, a recent study of in-car video footage found
that potentially distracting behavior was a factor in 58 percent of major crashes for this age group; teenagers
were using a cell phone in twelve percent of such collisions.5
Reaching for a moving object increases the risk of a crash or near-crash by nine times, drowsiness by four
times, looking at an external object by four times, reading by three times, dialing a cell phone by nearly three
times, and talking or listening on a hand-held device by 1.3 times.6 For teen drivers, the most common
distraction is using a cell phone. One study showed that using a cell phone while driving, whether hand-held
or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as does having a blood alcohol level at the legal limit of
.08 percent.7 Text messaging is associated with the highest risk among all cell-phone-related tasks
observed among drivers.8
Another common source of distraction for teen drivers is riding with peers. The presence of teen passengers
increases the crash risk of teen drivers when no older adult is present. The risk increases with the number of
teen passengers. A recent study of 16- and 17-year-old drivers showed that having just a single passenger
younger than 21 (and no older passengers was associated with a 44 percent increase in the driver’s risk of
being killed in a crash; having two such passengers doubled the risk, and having three or more quadrupled
it. On the other hand, having at least one passenger who was 35 or older was associated with a 62 percent
decrease in the risk for fatality among teens of this age.9
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October 2015
Drowsiness is also an important factor in driver distraction. Research shows that many teens get inadequate
sleep.10 Daydreaming or dealing with strong emotions are also forms of cognitive distraction experienced by
many teens.
Trends
In 2013, 41 percent of high-schoolers who had driven reported emailing or texting while driving a car in the
past 30 days. (Appendix 2) Looking at another measure, on any given day in 2014, an average of six
percent of drivers, ages 16 to 24, used a hand-held cell phone while driving. This is a decrease from a peak
of ten percent in 2005. (Appendix 1)
According to a 2009 survey, 43 percent of teens, ages 16-17, report they have ever talked on a cell phone
while driving, and 26 percent have texted while driving. Sixty-four percent reported riding in a car when the
driver was texting, and 48 percent said they had been with a driver who used a cell phone in a way that put
themselves or others in danger.11 (Figure 1)
Figure 1
Percentage of Teens (12-17) Engaging in Distracted
Driving, 2009
75
64
60
All teens (12-17)
Older teens (16-17)
48
45
30
48
43
40
26
15
0
Texted while driving
Talked on the phone while
driving
Rode with a driver who was Rode with a driver who used
texting
a cell phone dangerously
Source: Madden, M., and Lenhart, A. (2009). Teens and distracted driving:
Texting, talking and other uses of the cell phone behind the wheel. Pew Research
Center.
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October 2015
Differences by Gender
Male and female teens are equally likely to report texting behind the wheel. Thirty-four percent of both males
and females, ages 16-17, report they have text-messaged while driving.12
Differences by Race/Hispanic Origin13
Among high-schoolers in 2013, whites were the most likely to report texting or emailing while driving in the
past 30 days, at 46 percent, while blacks were the least likely to do so (29 percent). Asian students (40
percent) were not significantly different from whites or Hispanics (36 percent) on this measure, although
Hispanic students were less likely than whites to report these distractions. (Appendix 2)
State and Local Estimates
None available.
International Estimates
None available.
National Goals
None.
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October 2015
What Works to Make Progress on This Indicator
Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) is a program that eases young drivers into full responsibility. A model
three-stage program includes specific components and restrictions that introduce progressively more
challenging driving experiences gradually to beginning drivers. Some components, such as limiting the
number of passengers, having a licensed adult required in the vehicle at all times, and prohibitions on use of
portable electronic communication and entertainment devices, address distracted driving. The most
comprehensive GDL programs are associated with reductions of about 20 percent in 16-year-old drivers’
fatal crash involvement rates. More information is available here:
www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/Traffic%20Injury%20Control/Teen%20Driver/files/810888GradDriverLicense.p
df
Teen drivers whose parents set rules and monitor their teens’ driving behavior are more likely to follow safe
driving practices, including avoiding using a cell phone while driving.14
More information is available at the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration’s website,
http://www.distraction.gov/stats-research-laws/facts-and-statistics.html.
Related Indicators

Drunk Driving: www.childtrends.org/?indicators=drunk-driving

Motor Vehicle Deaths: www.childtrends.org/?indicators=motor-vehicle-deaths

Seat Belt Use: www.childtrends.org/?indicators=seat-belt-use

Time Spent in Sleep: www.childtrends.org/?indicators=time-spent-in-sleep
Definition
Distracted driving is any non-driving activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her
from the primary task of driving, or to increase the risk of crashing.15
Data Sources
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October 2015

Data for all teens, ages 16 to 17: Madden, M., and Lenhart, A. (2009). Teens and distracted driving:
Texting, talking and other uses of the cell phone behind the wheel. Pew Research Center.
Retrieved from
www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2009/PIP_Teens_and_Distracted_Driving.pdf

Data for all high school students: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2014). 19912013 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. Accessed on 10/19/2015. Available at
http://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/

Data for drivers ages 16 to 24: Pickrell, T. M. (2015). Driver electronic device use in 2014. (Traffic
Safety Facts Research Note. Report No. DOT HS 812 197). Washington, DC: National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration. Available at: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812197.pdf
Raw Data Sources
Survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International for the Pew Research Center’s
Internet & American Life Project.
Youth Risk Behavior Survey: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm
National Occupant Protection Use Surveys: http://wwwnrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Cats/listpublications.aspx?Id=7&ShowBy=Category
6
Appendix 1 - Percentage of Young Drivers, Ages 16-24, who Were Visibly
Distracted by Technology Use: 2004-2014
Driver Using Hand-Held Cell
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
7.7
10.4
8.3
8.8
8.3
7.6
7.3
6.5
5.9
5.9
5.8
0.8
1.3
0.7
0.6
0.9
0.5
1.4
0.6
0.7
0.7
0.8
-
0.3
0.5
1.0
1.7
1.1
1.5
3.7
3.0
2.9
4.8
Phone
Driver Speaking With
Visible Headsets on
Driver Visibly Manipulating
Hand-Held Devices
Source: Pickrell, T. M. (2015). Driver electronic device use in 2014. (Traffic Safety Facts Research Note. Report No. DOT HS
812 197). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Available at: http://wwwnrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812197.pdf
Distracted Driving
October 2015
Appendix 2 - Percentage of High School Students who
Reported Texting or E-mailing while Driving in the past
30 days, among Those who Drove: 2013
2013
All Students
41.4
Gender
Male
41.8
Female
40.9
Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
45.8
Non-Hispanic Black
29.1
Hispanic
36.0
Grade
9
16.9
10
26.5
11
49.0
12
60.3
Note: Estimates do not include youth who dropped out of school and
therefore may not reflect total national values. Students from California,
Oregon, Washington, and Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, and
Pennsylvania were not included in the 2013 survey.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2014). 19912013 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. Accessed on 8/4/2014.
Available at http://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline
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Endnotes
1
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2015). Distracted driving 2013. Traffic Safety Facts: Research Note.
Available at http://www.distraction.gov/downloads/pdfs/Distracted_Driving_2013_Research_note.pdf
2
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2006). The impact of driver inattention on near-crash/crash risk.
Retrieved from
http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/Crash%20Avoidance/Driver%20Distraction/810594.pdf.
3
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Teen drivers: Get the facts. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Teen_Drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html
4
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2015). Op. cit.
5
Carney, C., McGehee, D., Harland, K., Weiss, M., & Raby, M. (2015). Using naturalistic driving data to assess the
prevalence of environmental factors and driver behaviors in teen driver crashes. Washington, DC: AAA Foundation for
Traffic Safety. http://newsroom.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/TeenCrashCausation_2015_FINALREPORT.pdf
6
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2006). Breakthrough research on real-world driver behavior released.
Retrieved from http://www.nhtsa.gov/Driving+Safety/Distracted+Driving/Breakthrough+Research+on+RealWorld+Driver+Behavior+Released
7
U.S. Department of Transportation. (2008). Statistics and facts about distracted driving... Retrieved from
http://www.distraction.gov/stats-and-facts/#did
8
Madden, M., and Lenhart, A. (2009). Teens and distracted driving: Texting, talking and other uses of the cell phone
behind the wheel. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from
http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2009/PIP_Teens_and_Distracted_Driving.pdf
9
Tefft, B. C., Williams, A. F., and Grabowski, J. G. (2012). Teen driver risk in relation to age and number of passengers.
Washington, DC: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
10
National Sleep Foundation. (2006). 2006 Sleep in America Poll. Retrieved from www.sleepfoundation.org.
11
Madden, M., and Lenhart, A. (2009). Op. cit.
12
Madden, M., and Lenhart, A. (2009). Op. cit.
13
Hispanics can be any race. Estimates for whites, blacks, and Asians in this report do not include Hispanics.
14
Ginsburg, K. R., Durbin, D. R., Garcia-Espana, J. F., Kalicka, E. A., an d Winston, F. K. (2009). Associations between
parenting styles and teen driving, safety-related behaviors and attitudes. Pediatrics, 124(4), 1040-1051.
15
U.S. Department of Transportation. (2015). Op. cit.
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