You probably already know that distracted driving is a dangerous and reckless habit that puts the public here in Naples in grave danger. But if someone in your life still thinks that the warnings against using your phone while driving are exaggerated, here are some statistics to share.
According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
- In 2019, 430 drivers and passengers were killed in car accidents caused by a driver who was texting and driving.
- That year, distracted drivers killed 566 pedestrians, bicyclists and others who were not inside a motor vehicle.
- In 2020, texting and driving caused 13 percent of all fatal distracted driving wrecks.
- That same year, texting was responsible for almost exactly 30,000 crashes.
Even a brief glance at the phone puts the driver and everyone nearby in potential danger of a deadly wreck. The NHTSA says that a driver doing 55 mph while looking at a text message for five seconds is the equivalent of driving across an entire football field with your eyes closed. You can imagine how much the chances of a terrible car accident go up in those few seconds.
Still, millions of American drivers continue to text or otherwise use their phones while driving. Many of them live and commute in Naples. Every day, they put feeding their smartphone addiction above the public’s health and safety. Sooner or later, a distracted driver’s luck can run out and they crash into an innocent person.