April 2024 is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. It’s an important reminder for us to use this time to save lives and prevent car accidents. Distracted driving is as dangerous as drunk driving. It poses serious dangers for all drivers, but especially teen drivers.
The need for a national distracted driving awareness month is vital. Research has shown that a driver’s risk of being involved in a car accident increases dramatically when he or she uses a cell phone when driving. If you’re texting while driving, you’re 23 times more likely to be in a car accident. And you’re 12 times more likely to crash if you’re dialing a hand-held cell phone while you’re behind the wheel.
No age group is this truer for than teen drivers. As a group, teen drivers face a unique threat from distracted driving because the prefrontal cortex of their brains is still developing and, scientifically, they are less able to resist the dopamine hit and temptation to answer a text or a social media ping on their cell phones when driving a car.
Distracted driving makes an already dangerous situation even worse for young drivers which is why awareness is necessary. Research shows car accidents are – and have been for years – the #1 killer of teens between the ages of 15-20. National Distracted Driving Awareness Month was created to remind people of these statistics to help make drivers aware of the potential dangers of distracted driving and to reduce these types of accidents.
To learn more about teen drivers and distracted driving, please check out this awareness video:
How do we make the most of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month?
To make the most of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, we need to: (1) educate the public about the dangers of driving while distracted; (2) call for better enforcement of existing laws; (3) obey Michigan’s distracting driving laws which prohibit hand-held cell phone use while driving; and (4) we need to do better to stop dangerous distracted-driving behaviors.
Car crash risks and what we can do beyond National Distracted Driving Awareness Month
Though National Distracted Driving Awareness Month can help bring insight and understand to help reduce our risk of being involved in a car accident, the #1 thing we can do is to put our phones away when we are behind the wheel. Today, make a pledge to yourself and to your family that you will no longer text while driving.
Eliminating cell phone-related distractions is the best place to start because the crash risks associated with texting and using the phone while driving put everyone on the road in serious danger:
- Drivers who are texting are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash, according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
- Drivers who are dialing a handheld cell phone are 12 times more likely to crash, according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
Statistics for all drivers
In recognition of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, our attorneys wanted to share the following statistics:
- There were 15,441 motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in Michigan in 2022. This was down approximately 6.7% from 16,543 in 2021. (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts)
- There were 53 fatal motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in Michigan in 2022, down approximately 10% from 59 in 2021. (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts)
- There were 4,118 injury motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in Michigan in 2022, down 7% from 4,430 in 2021. (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts)
- There were 2,382 motor vehicle drivers using a cell phone at the time of a crash in Michigan in 2022, down approximately 14% from 2,768 in 2021. (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts)
- Fatal distracted driving-related auto accidents (i.e., where a driver was using a cell phone) in Michigan dropped nearly 62% from 2021 to 2022. (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts)
- There were 3,308 people killed and 289,310 people injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes involving distracted drivers in the U.S. in 2022. (NHTSA)
- Distracted driving was a factor in 8% of all fatal crashes, 12% of all injury crashes and 11% of all motor vehicle crashes in total in the U.S. in 2022. (NHTSA)
- 5% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in the U.S. in 2022 were distracted at the time of the crashes. (NHTSA)
The statistics above reflect the most current, up-to-date data that is publicly available.
Statistics for teen drivers
Being distracted while driving is extremely dangerous for teen drivers. In honor of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month our attorneys wanted to share the following statistics:
- 3,206 or approximately 21% of the distracted drivers in crashes in Michigan in 2022 were between the ages of 15 and 20 years of age, down approximately 15% from 3,768 in 2021. (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts)
- There were 12 fatal motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 years of age in Michigan in both 2022 and 2021. (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts)
- There were 847 injury motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 in Michigan in 2022, down 17% from 1,026 in 2021. (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts)
- 441 or 18.5% of the drivers using a cell phone at the time of a crash in Michigan in 2022 were 20 years of age or younger, down approximately 17.5% from 535 in 2021. (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts)
- Of the 4,856 teen drivers (aged 15 to 20) who were involved in fatal crashes in the U.S. in 2022, 296 or 6% of them were distracted at the time of the crashes. (NHTSA)
The statistics above reflect the most current, up-to-date data that is publicly available.
What laws do you need to know about for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month?
There are two main laws that National Distracted Driving Awareness Month is trying to get drivers to know about. First, there is the Michigan distracted driving law – which is also referred to as the “hands-free” law – for drivers of all ages. Second, there is Kelsey’s Law which applies to teen drivers who have a Level 1 or Level 2 graduated license status.
Under the “all ages” law, drivers are prohibited from using a hand-held cell phone to text, talk on the phone, watch videos, and go on social media while they are driving. However, those prohibitions do not apply when the phone is being used in “hands-free” mode.
Under Kelsey’s law, teen drivers with a Level 1 or Level 2 driving permit under Michigan’s graduated licensing system are completely banned from using a cell phone in any manner while they’re driving – regardless of whether it is “hand-held” or “hands-free” use.
National Distracted Driving Awareness Month offers the opportunity to remind drivers about Michigan laws for distracted drivers of all ages
Michigan’s universal distracted driving law prohibits drivers of all ages from using a hand-held cell phone or mobile electronic device to engage in any of the following distracting activities while they’re behind the wheel: (1) send or receive a telephone call, (2) send, receive, or read a text message, (3) view, watch, record, or transmit a video, and (4) access, read, or post to a social networking site, i.e., social media. (MCL 257.602b(1), (12)(a) and (13))
The law’s “hands-free” exception allows drivers to use their phones to engage in the activities above while driving so long as: (1) they’re using the phone in “hands-free” or “voice-operated” mode, or (2) the phone is “placed in a mount.” (MCL 257.602b(3)(d) and (f))
The penalties for distracted drivers may include: (1) a fine of $100 to $250, (2) 16 to 24 hours of community service, (3) points on repeat offender’s driving record, and (4) a “basic driver improvement course” for 3 or more distracted-driving violations in a 3-year period. (MCL 257.602b(4)(a) and (b); 257.320a(1)(x) and (y); 257.602b(8))
National Distracted Driving Awareness Month brings awareness to Michigan laws for teen distracted drivers
The Michigan law known as “Kelsey’s Law” prohibits teen drivers with a Level 1 or Level 2 graduated license from using a cell phone in any way while they are driving – regardless of whether they’re using their phone in “hands-free” or “voice-operated” mode or whether the cell phone is placed in a mount. (MCL 257.602c(1))
This means that a driver with a Level 1 or Level 2 graduated licensed cannot use a phone while they’re behind the wheel to “initiate a call, answer a call, or listen to or engage in verbal communication through the cellular telephone.” (MCL 257.602c(1))
Every year, we offer our Kelsey’s Law Distracted Driving Awareness Scholarship which awards $5,000 in scholarships to Michigan high school students in their junior and senior years who create the most convincing messages to convince to discourage distracted driving and to persuade their peers to refrain from texting while driving and from other driving distractions. Click here to learn more.
Michigan Auto Law is proud to announce that we will be partnering with The Kiefer Foundation for this year’s annual Kelsey’s Law Distracted Driving Awareness Scholarship. Through the generosity of The Kiefer Foundation, we will be able to double the total scholarship offering from $5,000 to $10,000 and we will be able to award 8 winners instead of 4. The Kiefer Foundation was started in 2016 in honor of Mitchel Kiefer, a Michigan State University freshman who tragically lost his life when he was struck by a distracted driver.
Winners of this year’s Kelsey’ Law Distracted Driving Awareness Scholarship will be announced this month in honor of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Were you injured in a distracted driving car accident? Call a Michigan Auto Law attorney for a free consultation
If you or a loved one was injured in a distracted driving car accident and you have questions about what to do, you can call us toll free anytime 24/7 at (800) 777-0028 for a free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys. We will answer your questions about your and your family’s legal rights to pain and suffering compensation, economic damages and auto No-Fault insurance benefits, and settlements in cases like yours. There is absolutely no cost or obligation. You can also get help from an experienced injury attorney by visiting our contact page or chat feature on our website.
(Sources: Virginia Tech Transportation Institute research; Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, Data Query Tool, Filters, “Crash: Driver Distracted (2016+)”; Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, Data Query Tool, Filters, “Crash: Driver Distracted (2016+),” “Crash: Fatal Crash” for 2022 and 2021; Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, Data Query Tool, Filters, “Crash: Driver Distracted (2016+),” “Crash: Injury Crash” for 2022 and 2021; Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, Data Query Tool, Filters, “Crash: Driver Distracted (2016+),” “Driver Age” (“15 Years Old” through “20 Years Old”) for 2022 and 2021; Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, Data Query Tool, Filters, “Crash: Driver Distracted (2016+),” “Driver Age” (“15 Years Old” through “20 Years Old”), “Crash: Fatal Crash” for 2022 and 2021; Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, Data Query Tool, Filters, “Crash: Driver Distracted (2016+),” “Driver Age” (“15 Years Old” through “20 Years Old”), “Crash: Injury Crash” for 2022 and 2021; Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, Fact Sheet, “Cell Phone Use,” 2022 and 2021 (Note: For fatal crashes, see the “cell phone” shaped chart); NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts – Research Note, “Distracted Driving in 2022,” published April 2024 (Note: See Table 2 for fatal crashes involving drivers 15-20))
