Dive Brief:
- Dangerous driving is “increasing dramatically in the absence of normal enforcement levels,” the chair of the National Distracted Driving Coalition said in a June 5 press release.
- Communities could reverse a recent 12% increase in distracted driving-related fatalities by taking a comprehensive approach to enforcement, the group suggests in a new report.
- Data and technology-driven enforcement, clear legislation and public education can all help reduce distracted-related crashes, the report states.
Dive Insight:
Although distraction-related traffic fatalities declined from a recent high of 3,522 in 2021 to 3,275 in 2023, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, distracted driving may be under-reported as a cause in vehicle collisions, the NDDC report states. An AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey last year found that 27% of respondents reported sending an email or text while driving in the previous 30 days.
The report details approaches some states and cities use to reduce such behaviors:
- In 2023, Ohio upgraded its law to make distracted driving a primary offense, allowing police officers to stop and cite drivers solely for using their phones or engaging in other distracted behaviors. The change resulted in a 276% increase in distracted driving violations within the first six months of 2023, the report states. Ohio also conducted a “robust marketing campaign” to make the public aware of the law. Handheld phone use declined 12% in the first six months of enforcement, according to the report.
- The Tennessee Highway Safety Office and Tennessee Highway Patrol puts officers on transit buses to watch for distracted drivers around them and call for patrol vehicles to respond — a program they’ve had since 2017. “Our goal is to get drivers to think twice before picking up their phones or letting distractions take their focus off the road,” THP Colonel Matt Perry said in a statement.
- After the Tucson, Arizona, suburb of Oro Valley enacted a hands-free ordinance in 2017, its police department worked with local communities, distributed educational materials and used social media to inform residents about the dangers of distracted driving and the features of the new ordinance. The actions increased awareness and promoted safer driving in the city, the report states.
The NDDC report notes the need for effective tools — such as laws, policies and police practices — to implement a comprehensive approach to distracted driving enforcement, but it calls for more leadership as well.
“Police chiefs play a crucial role in shaping an agency’s priorities and ensuring traffic enforcement is adequately resourced and prioritized,” the report states. “The key objective of law enforcement agencies should not simply be issuing traffic citations but rather achieving voluntary compliance with traffic laws.”
