Utah's distracted driving deaths "severely underreported"
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Distracted driving is a pervasive problem on American roadways, including in Utah, and more states are cracking down.
The big picture: Around 3,300 people died nationwide in crashes attributed to distracted driving in 2022, while another 289,000 were injured, according to the latest available National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data.
- Over 62,000 crashes involved distracted cellphone use in 2022 alone, NHTSA says.
Zoom in: Over the past decade, Utah traffic fatalities caused by distracted driving have fluctuated, according to figures collected by the state.
- Utah saw a steady decline in distracted driving deaths from 2016 to 2019 before they started climbing again.
- Last year, 22 people died due to distracted driving. 2024's numbers are unchanged from 2023 and up one from 2022.
What they're saying: "Those figures are severely underreported," Kristen Hoschouer, Utah Department of Transportation's safety outreach administrator, told Axios.
- "We believe that there's probably a lot more distracted driving. It's just no one's going to confess to it," she said.
- Hoschouer said cars are becoming easier to drive, giving drivers a false sense of security when they take their eyes off the road.
- Until vehicles become fully autonomous, drivers need to pay attention, she noted.
Between the lines: Zero Fatalities, a program run by UDOT and the state's public safety department, runs campaigns on social media, in classrooms, and in driver's education classes, to help educate Utahns about the dangers of distracted driving, Hoschouer says.
The latest: Iowa recently became the 31st state to prohibit any handheld cellphone use behind the wheel, with Gov. Kim Reynolds saying: "This legislation will save lives."
- Nearly all U.S. states ban texting while driving, per the Governors Highway Safety Association, though their enforcement rules differ.
- Under Utah law, drivers are prohibited from using cellphones while driving.
State of play: 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.
- Though most people drove less during the pandemic, a small group comprising young and male drivers drove more and were likely to engage in risky behaviors like texting, speeding and running red lights.
- 2022 was still in the late pandemic era, and it's unclear whether things may have changed since then.
The intrigue: Despite the panic over recent flying incidents, roadway fatalities dwarf air fatalities every single year.
- Groups like the National Safety Council (NSC) observe April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Flashback: "How much longer will a civilized nation endure such mass mayhem?" the NSC asked in 1955 after 602 Americans died on roadways over a single Christmas weekend.
- It took 13 more years for seatbelts to be required in all new vehicles — and the NSC now wants similar action to curb distracted driving.
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," NSC executive VP of safety leadership and advocacy Mark Chung told Axios. "The human brain does not allow for it.
- "The cognitive challenges that one faces while distracted when driving, it's almost like being drunk."