Distracted driving led to approximately 21% of fatal collisions and 27% of serious injury collisions in 2016, according to data from Transport Canada’s National Collision Database. And those numbers are up significantly from just a decade ago.
Distracted driving is any activity that takes a driver's eyes off the road, hands off the wheel or mind off the primary task of driving safely.
Below are the top 10 driving distractions involved in fatal car crashes:
- Generally distracted or "lost in thought"
- Cell phone use
- Outside person, object or event
- Other occupants in the car
- Using or reaching for a device that was brought into the vehicle
- Eating or drinking
- Adjusting audio or climate controls
- Using other devices/controls integral to the vehicle
- A moving object in the vehicle, such as a pet or insect
- Smoking-related
The impacts of cell phones cannot be overstated. A driver who is texting is 8 times as likely to be in a crash as one who isn’t. A driver who is talking on the phone is 4 times as likely to be in a crash.
Dedicating ourselves to and reinforcing safe driving practices will make them second nature and save lives in the process.
