Most Accidents Are Caused by Distracted Drivers

Personal injury lawyers and researchers alike agree on one thing: when a car accident happens, it's usually someone's fault—usually a driver. Ninety-four percent of car accidents are caused by human error, according to research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Now, research from a private technology firm may shed further light on the nature of "human error."

Cambridge Mobile Telematics conducted a study that looked at the use of technology in cars. What they found was predictable—that distraction plays a role in some car accidents—but the percentage is startling. Fifty-two percent of all collisions in the study involve a driver who was on their phone. Of these phone-using drivers, a third of them were driving over 56 mph.

The top distractions listed in the study were texting, using social media, and email. On average, a distraction lasted 135 seconds. For up to two minutes, drivers operated large, high-speed machinery without focus or necessary levels of attention.

Your Phone Use Is a Public Safety Issue

Our blog has already reported on the higher number of deaths on the roads in recent months. The National Safety Council reported a fatality increase of 14%, the highest jump in 50 years. As the number of smartphone users continues to climb, it is vital that all drivers recognize the importance of their attention for the sake of others. Distraction is a public safety issue, and there's nothing on your phone more important than a person's life.

In Texas, a driver who was texting while at the wheel struck a minibus on the way to church, killing 13 of the 14 passengers. Some of the worst killers in history had death counts lower than the deaths this man caused—all by not paying attention.

Anti-phone laws aren't working. Criminal charges don't bring back the people we lose when drivers are negligent. They don't provide for the families left behind, either, or provide for the medical care and recovery of accident victims. The only way to save lives is to prevent drivers from using their phones while driving, or incentivize them to use them in a way that makes their driving better, not worse.

In a period where deaths from car accidents are increasing and autonomous vehicles are only just being tested, it's on us to ensure that we stay off our phones when we're on the road.