What People Tell Us
•• Almost half (48%) of drivers say they answer
their cell phones while driving at least some
of the time, and more than half of those (58%)
continue to drive after answering the call. This
has not changed in the past two years. (www.
nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/traffic_tech/tt407.pdf)
•• Fewer drivers (14%) say they send text
messages or e-mails, but about one-third of
those (35%) continue to drive when sending
text messages.
•• Drivers of all ages use their phones while they
are driving at least sometimes. More drivers
recognize the risk and say they do not make
or place calls or messages while driving than
in 2010.
••Most drivers support bans on hand-held cell
phone use (74%) and texting while driving
(94%), and they approve fines of $200 or
higher for talking on cell phones or texting
while driving.
Crashes
•• Some 6% of drivers say they were involved
in a crash and 7% were in a near-crash
situation in the past year. Of those, 2% say
they were using cell phones at the time, and
3% were sending or reading text messages.
These percentages remain unchanged from
2010 to 2012.
It’s the other driver’s fault
•• As passengers, almost all motorists
considered a driver who was sending or
reading a text message while driving as
very unsafe. Two of 5 passengers (40%)
said they would be likely to say something
if their driver was talking on a hand-held
cell phone, and three-quarters (76%) would
say something if their driver was texting.
Young drivers are less likely to speak up.
Texting
while driving
involves all
3 major types
of distraction
manual
Taking your hands
off the wheel
visual
Taking your eyes
off the road
cognitive
Taking your