Distracted Driving In NJ And Elsewhere In US Killed 3,140 In 2020: Report

NEW JERSEY — Distracted driving — with distractions ranging from cell phones to fighting toddlers —remains a deadly problem in New Jersey and across the country.

New estimates say 3,142 people died and 400,000 people were injured in car crashes in 2020 because people weren’t paying attention to their driving.

The primary distractions were cell phones and other electronic devices.

The Governors Highway Safety Association released that information in a report on data about distracted-driving fatalities and injuries from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Fatal crashes can also happen in the time it takes a driver gulp down some coffee, take a bite from a sandwich or break up a fight between the kids, according to the safety association.

The nonprofit policy and lobbying group's members represent highway safety offices in the 50 states, U.S. territories and Native American Nations.

A chart of distracted driving laws, by state, can be found here.

Distracted driving laws in each state vary on how easy it is for police to enforce them, the report noted.

Some can be enforced only when the vehicle is in motion, while others can apply to stopped vehicles too. State laws also differ on which kinds of wireless devices they apply to with a range of distinct definitions.

The report noted, "Most state laws are primary enforcement, meaning that an officer can issue a citation for a direct offense. Three states’ text messaging bans are secondary enforcement, meaning that an officer can only initiate a traffic stop or issue a citation if the driver has committed a separate primary offense, such as speeding or running a red light."

The report said, "Secondary offenses impede distracted driving enforcement and send a message to both officers and drivers that the law is not a priority."

Distraction was listed as a factor in 15 percent of all police reports on motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2020, according to the report. Also, the report said, in crashes where distracted driving was a factor, 566 nonoccupants — pedestrians, bicyclists and others — were killed in 2020.

The actual toll of distracted driving may be higher, undercutting efforts to address the problem because it creates false perceptions about the persistent and dangerous nature of not paying attention while driving, the report said.

The GHSA report said that drivers of all ages get distracted, but teen drivers ages 15-20 are more likely than any other age group to be involved in a fatal crash in which distraction was a factor.

Many are related to behavioral changes through education.

Most Americans acknowledge distracted driving threatens their safety, yet still engage in activities that contribute to the problem — largely cell phone use, which the report called “rampant.”

For example, 80 percent of drivers think yakking on a hand-held phone while driving is extremely or very dangerous, yet 37 percent do it anyway.

And nearly all drivers — 95 percent — say texting or sending an email is extremely or very dangerous, yet almost a quarter of them — 23 percent — confessed to doing it in the past 30 days, and 34 percent said they read on a hand-held device while driving.

One recommendation sure to get the attention of young drivers in New Jersey: graduated driver licenses that limit how many teens can be in a car at a time.

What do you think? Should teens be limited regarding cell phone and device use in cars? Comment below.