Report: Distracted Driving Contributes to 57% of All U.S. Traffic Collisions

Driving analytics company Zendrive has released a new collision report that quantifies the effects of distracted driving on traffic safety, showing a large proportion of drivers looking at their phones instead of the road—a trend that has only worsened since the outset of the pandemic.

Lynn Walford shares insights from the new report, noting the headline finding near the top: distracted driving now contributes to 57 percent of all traffic collisions.

Tge latest data shows increasingly reckless driver behavior. "Compared to January of this year, phone use frequency is 17% higher in November 2020, while rapid accelerations are up 36%," writes Walford. These kinds of driving prctices have tragic results. "According to AAA, phone distraction alone can increase the risk of collision by up to 83%. With pedestrian fatalities at their highest levels in decades, these new findings highlight a significant danger to public health."

The data from the Zendive report backs up previous reports about increasing traffic fatalities on U.S. roads during the pandemic. The Zendive report also includes a number of useful infographics to help illustrate the scale of the public health risk posed by distracted driving.