Distracted driving claims thousands of lives a year

Distracted driving is defined as any activity that diverts attention from driving. This includes talking or texting on a cell phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in the vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system — anything that takes the operator’s attention away from the task of safe driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text that takes the driver’s eyes off the road for only five seconds at 55 mph, is the equivalent of driving the length of an entire football field with eyes closed.

Wyoming Highway Patrol Lieutenant Erik Jorgenson told Sheridan Media that law enforcement was beginning to see a difference as many people know to keep their eyes on the road while traveling highways and the Interstate. But many drivers are taking and making texts in the city and towns. 

Lt. E. Jorgensen

The NHTSA states that in 2022, 3,308 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.

Drivers’ visible manipulation of handheld devices decreased from 3.1 percent in 2022 to 3.0 percent in 2023. The percentages of drivers holding cell phones to their ears while driving remained unchanged as 2.1 percent in 2023 from 2022 year’s level. This translates to an estimated 326,170 passenger vehicle drivers holding cell phones to their ears while driving during a typical daylight moment in 2023.