‘We need to use all the tools we have’: Distracted driving is NHTSA’s focus in April

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

Distraction-related fatalities increased 12 percent from 3,154 in 2020 to 3,522 in 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Despite these numbers, NHTSA suspects that distraction as the cause of fatal crashes is underreported because of the difficult nature in detection during an investigation.

NHTSA is kicking off its annual U Drive. U Text. U Pay. campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of driving while distracted. From April 3 to 10, police will double down on distracted drivers.

“These new data tell us just how much harm distracted driving can cause and why a nationwide campaign is more important today than ever,” NHTSA’s Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said. “We need to use all the tools we have to reduce distracted driving: state laws, education and outreach, and disabling of phones while driving can all work to save lives.”

The impact of distracted driving is even clearer with new data from NHTSA’s “The Economic and Societal Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2019.” Released in February 2023, the report estimated distraction by observing driver behavior in real settings. Distraction was found to be involved in 29 percent of all crashes, killing 10,546 individuals, injuring 1.3 million and creating $98.2 billion in economic costs.

From April 3 to 10, NHTSA’s campaign targets drivers aged 18 to 34, who are more likely to die in a distraction-affected crash than any other age group. The campaign, in its ninth year, is funded by a $5 million national media buy in English and Spanish on television, radio and digital platforms.

The United States Department of Transportation released the federal government’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, the nation’s roadmap for addressing traffic fatalities and injuries, in early 2022. In February, the next phase of its strategy, Call to Action campaign was launched. The strategy is complemented by safety funding in the nation’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

In the coming weeks, NHTSA will have 2022 data available, but a 2021 analysis revealed that traffic crashes increased 10.5 percent from 2020 to 2021.