What is Distracted Driving?

Driving while using a cell phone is like driving after having FOUR alcoholic drinks. Driving while distracted by a cell phone is a nationwide problem and everyone is at risk. If you are in a vehicle driving you are at risk if you use a cell phone or are hit by another driver who is using a cell phone. Pedestrians are also at risk by being hit by a driver who is distracted while driving.

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 and increase the risk of crashing. While all distractions can endanger drivers’ safety, texting is the most alarming because it involves all three types of distraction.

Other distracting activities include:

  • Using a cell phone
  • Eating and drinking
  • Talking to passengers
  • Grooming
  • Reading, including maps
  • Using a PDA or navigation system
  • Watching a video
  • Changing the radio station, CD, or Mp3 player.

Surprising Facts


Research on distracted driving reveals some surprising facts:

  • 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (NHTSA).


  • Of those killed in distracted-driving-related crashed, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes). (NHTSA)


  • In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving. (FARS and GES)
  • The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group – 16 percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving. (NHTSA)


  • Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)


  • Using a cell phone use while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (Source: University of Utah)

Eyes On The Road Pledge

This pledge is geared towards creating awareness about the dangers of using cell phones in vehicles while driving. When a person dials the phone, answers a call, checks an email message or reads a text message their attention is taken away from the road. This creates a very dangerous situation for everyone!

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Eyes On The Road Headlines
Updates to distracted driving laws for Ore., Wash.
State representatives in Oregon and Washington recently passed new distracted driving legislation, all of which aimed at making roads in the Pacific Northwest safer. Video Video

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