Traffic fatalities fall in Michigan, but distractions abound
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Distracted driving is a pervasive problem on American roadways, and Michigan is among states cracking down in recent years.
Why it matters: Around 3,300 people died nationwide in crashes attributed to distracted driving in 2022, while another 289,000 were injured, according to the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data.
- Over 62,000 crashes involved distracted cellphone usage in 2022 alone, NHTSA says.
- These stats likely underestimate the problem because crash data often relies on self-reporting, National Safety Council (NSC) executive vice president of safety leadership and advocacy Mark Chung tells Axios.
Zoom in: Michigan's law prohibiting cellphone use while driving went into effect in June 2023, with a $100 fine and/or 16 hours of community service for the first violation.
- Michigan recorded 15,136 vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver in 2023, the most recent year available, resulting in 59 deaths, a state police spokesperson told Axios in an email, citing Michigan Traffic Crash Facts.
- In 2022, before the law was in place, there were 15,441 crashes involving a distracted driver and 57 deaths.
- More time is likely needed to assess the law's efficacy.
Zoom out: Nearly all states ban texting while driving, per the Governors Highway Safety Association, though enforcement rules differ.
The big picture: U.S. traffic deaths per 100,000 people peaked in the 1930s, and total deaths peaked in 1972, then gradually declined thanks to vehicle improvements, better infrastructure and public safety campaigns.
- But the rate of crash deaths started rising again about a decade ago, spiking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bottom line: "A lot of us feel like we can multitask, but we know from studies that there's no such thing as multitasking," Chung says. "The human brain does not allow for it."