We regularly quote distracted driving facts and figures from official studies and reports but it’s easy to get a bit ‘relaxed’ about these numbers, lose them in the mass of information or fail to appreciate the dangers these numbers represent.

So – we thought it was a good time to present some raw numbers in an easily digestible form – something to really press home the key statistics and their implications:
Drivers engaged in text messaging on a cellular phone are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or near crash event compared with non-distracted drivers.
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 2010.

84 per cent of distracted-driving-related fatalities in the US were tied to the general classification of carelessness or inattentiveness. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2009

80 per cent of collisions and 65 per cent of near crashes have some form of driver inattention as contributing factors. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2010

Distracted drivers are three times more likely to be in a crash than attentive drivers. Alberta Transportation, 2011

Driver distraction is a factor in four million motor vehicle crashes in North America each year. Government of Canada

Economic losses caused by traffic collision-related health care costs and lost productivity are at least $10 billion annually in Canada alone. That’s about 1 per cent of Canada’s GDP. Government of Canada

In 2010, distracted driving was a contributing factor in 104 collision fatalities in British Columbia. RCMP

80% of collisions and 65% of near crashes have some form of driver inattention as contributing factors. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety