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Texting and Driving Accident and Death Statistics (2024 Updated)

Distracted driving – particularly texting – causes too many car accident deaths in this country. The statistics are overwhelming.

There are many ways to become distracted while driving. A driver’s mind may wander to the problems they have to face that day. They may reach for something in the passenger’s seat or look at something on the side of the road.

Perhaps worst of all, they may try to read or send a text message, which causes them to take their thoughts, eyes, and hands away from the task of driving.

If you are driving 55 miles per hour and take your eyes off the road for just 5 seconds to send a text, you will have traveled the length of a football field. There are too many fatal car accidents in those five seconds.

Texting and Driving Statistics 2024

Statistics show distracted driving mistakes happen far too often. The CDC tells us that over 3,000 will die because of distracted driving in 2024.1 How many deaths are caused by texting and driving? Statistics suggest there are 400 deaths from texting and driving every year in the United States. Our car accident lawyers’ take? The real number is twice as high. Our attorneys have seen plenty of texting-while-driving accidents that will never find themselves accounted for statistically.

The good news is that the number of people killed in distracted driver accidents is down slightly in recent years.2 The bad news is that distracted driving still kills and injures thousands of people every year.

Are Parents Texting and Driving Hypocrites?

As many as 1 in 3 teens in the U.S. admit to texting and driving at least once.3 One new study found that 58% of crashes involving teenagers were caused by driver distraction. One huge problem: Teen drivers hear their parents telling them not to text while driving. How many teen drivers see their parents doing precisely that? It is hard to ask them to change their driving behavior when we can’t do it ourselves, right?

Adults Contribute to Texting and Driving Problem

So teens are not the only problem. All age groups are guilty of distracted driving and texting. Parents of the Millennial generation and older are all guilty of texting while driving.4 Older individuals, too, can be distracted by in-vehicle technology while driving because they struggle with the interfaces.5

Do these distracted driving statistics tell the whole story? If you rear-ended a vehicle on your way home tonight because you were texting on your phone, how likely are you to tell the police officer that you caused the car crash by texting? This is the problem with the dangers of distracted driving and texting statistics, right? The problem could be even worse than we think.

Pedestrians and Texting

One thing we see that rarely gets talked about is pedestrians on cell phones. Our lawyers find walking to lunch in Baltimore hard without seeing ten pedestrians crossing the street on the phone. So not only do distracted drivers collide with pedestrians, but pedestrians who are texting (or reading ESPN.com or whatever) are less likely to look both ways before crossing the street.6

Another thing to remember is that it is just not about cell phones and texting. Daydreaming while driving has been a leading cause of death since Henry Ford started producing the Model T.

Thoughts for Writing a School Paper on Texting and Driving

Before we get into your frequent texting and driving statistics and questions, there is one final thought. Distracted driving causes thousands of people to die every year. It is a huge problem.

But if you are using these statistics to write a school paper on the dangers of distracted driving, please do not diminish the significance of the distracted and texting while driving problem by exaggerating it. Don’t be so lazy and take everything at face value. And, please, don’t miss what is right under your nose. Speed is a contributing cause in 30% of fatal accidents, and drinking and driving is a factor in 28% of fatalities. Texting and distracted driving is an essential piece of the puzzle. But it is not the only piece.

So if you read, for one annoying example, that “92% of respondents agreed that texting and driving are as dangerous as driving under the influence,” you can put that in your school paper like a robot. Or you can question the premise. Drunk driving is the most significant cause of reasonably preventable car accident deaths, and daydreaming for a moment is one heck of a lot less dangerous than driving drunk.

Also, don’t fall prey to the “texting is worse than guns” cliché. Over 12,000 people die a year from gun violence.  This is not a competition. Two things – guns and texting while driving – can be bad at once.

Convenient distortions of statistics to make the problem seem worse than it is are easily identified by people with half a brain, which leads paradoxically to people taking distracted driving less seriously.

Here are some statistics you will want to put in your paper in 2024:

  • Every day, approximately eight fatalities in the United States are linked to crashes involving a distracted driver, with over 3,100 lives lost and 324,000 people injured in 2020.
  • 7 percent of drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were distracted at the time of the accident.
  • Drivers in their 20s account for 25 percent of the individuals involved in fatal crashes due to distraction.
  • Engaging in visual-manual subtasks, such as reaching for a phone, dialing, or texting, while using hand-held devices increases the risk of being involved in a crash by three times compared to non-distracted drivers.

Is Texting While Driving Illegal in Maryland?

In Maryland, talking on the phone with a handheld device is prohibited, as is texting. The one exception is using a phone to call 911. This includes even checking messages when stopped at a red light.

Minor drivers with their learner’s permits or provisional licenses cannot call, even using a hands-free device. Headsets, earphones, and earplugs are also prohibited. Using GPS is allowed, but only if appropriately displayed.

A driver who causes serious bodily harm or death in an accident because they were talking on a handheld device or texting may go to prison for up to a year and be fined $5,000. These drivers may also be guilty of reckless and negligent driving or even vehicular manslaughter.

Drivers found talking on the phone while driving can be given a ticket of up to $75 for a first offense. Minors under 18 found doing the same can have their licenses suspended for 90 days.

If you text and drive in Maryland, you are guilty of a misdemeanor and can be charged up to $500. This adds 1 point to your driving record. The 90-day suspension for minors likewise applies.

Are Distracted Driving Claims Different from Other Car Accident Claims?

If a jury sees that a driver was texting when they caused the accident that injured you, it is almost certain that you will win an award and that it will be higher than if your claim did not involve a distracted driver.

However, proving that the other driver was texting is challenging. Under Maryland law, when a driver admits responsibility, the fact that they were texting should not come into evidence.

Thus, a good defense lawyer will likely admit their client was at fault to avoid their texting from being revealed to the jury. However, there are a few evidentiary arguments that lawyers can make that have a chance of getting such evidence admitted at trial.

How Many Deaths Are Caused by Texting and Driving?

In 2021, distracted driving was a significant factor in road accidents, leading to 3,522 fatalities and approximately 362,415 injuries. Compared to 2020, this marked an increase of 380 deaths, as reported by the safety commission.

Crashes involving distracted drivers constituted 8% of all deadly accidents, 14% of incidents resulting in injuries, and 13% of all motor vehicle crashes reported by the police in 2021.

This is three years old, but this is the last year we have good statistics.

How Many Deaths Are Caused by Texting and Driving in 2024 in Maryland?

The Maryland Highway Safety Office reports approximately 185 people die in Maryland each year as a result of distracted driving.

How Many People Die from Texting and Other Distracted Driving?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics tell us that approximately 434 people died as a result of accidents that involved cell phone use (not texting-specific statistics)

What Age Group Texts and Drives the Most?

A Liberty Mutual global driving survey found that around 86 percent of U.S. Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) admitted using their phone while driving. This compares to 72 percent of Gen X’ers (born between 1965 and 1980) and 49 percent of boomers (born between 1946 and 1964).

How Many Times More Likely Are You to Crash While Texting?

A new AAA report found that cell phone use increases traffic accident risk by two to eight times compared to drivers not distracted by electronic devices.

How Many Deaths Are Caused by Texting and Driving?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 434 individuals died in cell phone-related accidents. But that is a guess that underestimates the number of cell phone-related accidents. Too often, we just don’t know why the driver was distracted because the distracted driver is either dead or lying about how the accident happened.

Who Is Affected by Texting and Driving?

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey found that more than half of cell phone-related fatal crashes involved drivers between 15 and 30.

Specifically, 16 percent were drivers between 15 and 19 years, and 37 percent were drivers between 20 and 29 years.

Example Verdicts & Settlements

 

August 2024, Pennsylvania $40,000 Verdict: The plaintiff was stopped at an intersection when the defendant, who was allegedly texting her boyfriend while driving, slammed into the back of her. The plaintiff reportedly sustained tears to the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons and rotator cuff of her right shoulder which required surgical intervention. The plaintiff also claimed unspecified injuries to her cervical and lumbar spine and thumb.

July 2024, Pennsylvania $29,684 Verdict: The plaintiff claimed her vehicle was struck by the defendant’s vehicle as he turned into a controlled intersection. The plaintiff alleged that the defendant was texting on his phone at the time of the accident, causing him to disregard a traffic signal. The plaintiff’s injuries were minimal.

March 2024, Texas $124,000 Verdict: The defendant was texting while driving a large commercial vehicle when he collided head-on with the plaintiff’s vehicle. The plaintiff suffered unspecified injuries.

December 2023, South Carolina: $44,000,000 Verdict: An Amazon delivery driver suddenly turned at a stop sign, cutting off the plaintiff’s motorcycle. This action led to a collision that resulted in injuries to Shaw’s shoulder and spine, as well as a mild brain injury. The jury awarded $44 million.

March 2023, Georgia: $80,000 Verdict. The plaintiff was driving westbound when the defendant allegedly failed to stop, collided with the rear of the plaintiff’s motor vehicle, and pushed the plaintiff’s vehicle into the vehicle in front of it. The plaintiff said that the defendant accelerated after colliding with the plaintiff’s vehicle and that she was texting and driving when the accident occurred.

November 2022, Colorado: $35,280 Verdict. The plaintiff was on the highway when she slowed down because of traffic congestion ahead. The defendant, who was allegedly looking down at her phone, did not stop at all and slammed right into the back of the plaintiff, causing a multi-car pileup accident. The verdict included $23k for pain and suffering.

November 2022, New Jersey: $35,000 Settlement. The defendant was allegedly texting and driving when he ran the light and collided with the plaintiff’s vehicle, causing him and his passenger, a minor, to suffer moderate injuries. Case settled for policy limits.

December 2021, Connecticut: $140,661 Verdict. A woman was rear-ended. She suffered the aggravation of her pre-existing lumbar injury and post-traumatic headaches. The woman alleged negligence against the at-fault driver. She claimed he used his phone while driving and failed to watch the road. The jury awarded $140,661.

August 2021, Tennessee: $35,000 Verdict. A man stopped at an intersection. He was rear-ended. The man suffered unspecified personal injuries. He alleged negligence against the at-fault driver. The man claimed he texted while driving, tailgated him, and unsafely sped. A jury awarded $35,000.

May 2021, Tennessee: $122,755 Verdict. A woman was rear-ended. She suffered unspecified injuries. The woman alleged negligence against the at-fault driver. She claimed he texted while driving, failed to control his vehicle, and failed to operate at safe speeds. The jury awarded $122,755.

March 2020, Pennsylvania: $20,000 Arbitration Award. A woman was T-boned. She suffered head, neck, and back injuries. The woman also experienced trauma-induced seizures. She alleged negligence against the at-fault driver. The woman claimed she used her phone while driving, excessively sped, and failed to watch the road. Following arbitration, she received $20,000.

2019, Connecticut: $235,000 Settlement. A motorist entered the plaintiff’s travel lane and struck her vehicle head-on. The woman suffered soft-tissue injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and panic attacks. It’s a pretty typical distracted driving story. The woman claimed the motorist was texting her husband right before the collision. Her insurance company’s lawyer responded to the lawsuit by denying the woman’s allegations and, as insurance companies do, contested the severity of her injuries. But the defense gave way to a $235,000 settlement.

October 2019, Oregon: $6,700 Verdict A man is a passenger in a car driven by his son. They take an off-ramp from the highway and begin going through a green light when they stop abruptly to avoid colliding with a car running the red light in the opposite direction. The car behind them, however, fails to stop and rear-ends them. As a result, the father suffers injuries to his neck, back, and shoulder. In his lawsuit against the rear-end driver, the father seeks the testimony of a distracted driver expert. The defendant, however, denies fault. Though he initially sought $250,000, the father is only awarded $6,700 for his medical expenses and non-economic damages.

September 2019, Pennsylvania: $200,000 Verdict The plaintiff is rear-ended by a distracted driver while stopped at a red light. The at-fault driver looked down at his phone when colliding with the plaintiff. The plaintiff and his wife filed against the driver, the plaintiff alleging pain & suffering, loss of income, and medical expenses, and the wife alleging loss of consortium. They also sue their insurer, GEICO, for refusing to pay underinsured motorist benefits. A jury awards $200K to the plaintiff.

May 2019, Oklahoma: $19,600 Settlement A father drives with his two children. Another driver tailgates him while texting, and eventually, rear-ends the family’s car. He and the children suffer unspecified injuries and file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver, alleging negligence, negligence per se (violation of the law), and res ipsa loquitur (negligence inferred from the nature of the accident). They settle with the defendant’s insurer, USAA, for $19.600, which is split between medical costs, attorney fees, and savings accounts for the two children.

April 2019, California: $12,000 Verdict (Judge reduced to $10,000) A 38-year-old firefighter is rear-ended while stopped at a red light. The at-fault driver was changing his radio dial, did not realize that the light had changed, and rear-ended the plaintiff. The plaintiff suffers herniated discs and other spinal injuries. A jury awards him $12,000, and the judge reduces the award to $10,000 to accommodate for a previous settlement.

Getting a Lawyer to Fight for You

The attorneys at Miller & Zois have won millions of dollars for car accident victims. We cannot undo the damage that texting while driving and other distracted driving caused you. We can, however, help you win the compensation that will help you pay for medical bills and lost wages and compensate you for your pain and suffering. Call us at (800) 553-8082 or go online for a free consultation.

More Resources

Supporting Literature

  1. CDC
  2. Distracted Driving Statistics 2022.
  3. “Texting/Emailing While Driving Among High School Students in 35 States, United States, 2015,” by Li Li et al., Journal of Adolescent Health, 2018.
  4. “Patterns of Texting and Driving in a US National Survey of Millennial Parents vs Older Parents,” by Jennifer Gliklich et al., JAMA Pediatrics, 2019.
  5. “Age-Related Differences in the Cognitive, Visual and Temporal Demands of In-Vehicle Information Systems,” AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2019.
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