Close
Updated:

Distracted Driving Increased During the Pandemic

Several studies have confirmed that speeding rates  increased during the pandemic, but disturbing new data from a mobile analytics company finds that  American motorists have also been engaging in  other types of dangerous behaviors at higher rates since the pandemic.

New  data by Cambridge Mobile Telematics, a company that offers apps that can be downloaded to lower motorist insurance rates finds that the rates of distracted driving actually increased during the pandemic. What is worse  is that those distracted driving rates have actually continued even after the pandemic. The Cambridge apps that can be downloaded by drivers measure a number of parameters, including the actions involved in holding a phone and interacting with an unlocked screen while driving.

The analysis found that there was an increase in the rates of both interaction with an unlocked screen, as well as phone motion by as much as 20% between  2020 and 2022. For instance,  the company states that in 2022,  drivers used their phones for  these  activities on close to 60% of all their trips.  These are alarming  figures, and should be worrying to any traffic safety expert.  Far  from cutting down on distracted driving behaviors like using cell phones while driving, American motorists are actually engaging with their phones even more than ever before, placing them at risk of  being involved in  car accidents. Most distracted driving behaviors occur when the car is at 50 miles per hour.

The study also finds that  the distracted driving rate among American drivers is as much as three times higher than that among European drivers. European drivers spend 44 seconds per hour on their cell phone,  while the average American driver spends 2 minutes and 11 seconds per hour on a cell phone. The comparison with European drivers comes against  the backdrop of information that  car accident deaths in the United States  spiked during the pandemic, while the same did not happen in Europe.

While road design could be a factor in the lower auto accident death rates in Europe –  where roads are designed to be less motorist-centric and with pedestrian and bicycle safety in mind, contributing to lower car accident fatalities  involving these users –  the fact is that dangerous behaviors like driving while using cell phones is also contributing to a spike in car accident deaths in the United States.  Add to that the fact that traffic  enforcement rates are currently the lowest in decades, and you have the perfect recipe for devastating auto  accidents to occur.

The Atlanta  auto accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered injuries in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia.  If you or a loved one have  suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your legal options for a claim for damages.  You  may qualify for damages that include medical  expenses, lost income and other types of compensation.  Talk  to a lawyer at our firm, and discuss your case. Initial  consultations are free.

Contact Us
Live Chat