According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving claimed over 2,800 lives in 2018. Due to the danger it poses, states across the country are cracking down on motorists who engage in this type of behavior. Earlier this year, Illinois revised its law on distracted driving and, specifically, the use of cell phones while behind the wheel. Previously, the act of texting and driving was punished as a moving violation only for repeat offenders. The revised law now punishes first-time offenders with a moving violation in addition to fines and possible prison time depending on the circumstances.

Why Was the Change Made?

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of accidents on the road, along with drunk driving and drowsy driving. The change to the law was made to help reduce the number of car crashes. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be helping, since studies show that so far in 2020, 15.6 percent of young motorists (18-24) admit to driving while on the phone. Additionally, 20 percent of these drivers admit to not being aware of the specific Illinois criminal law that makes texting and driving illegal.

It seems that there is a distracted driver on almost every corner – someone applying makeup, talking on their cell phone, or searching for something in their passenger side floorboard. The increasing prevalence of distracted driving accidents and fatalities support the increase of inattentive drivers. Yet, according to a recent survey from Everquote, there is a disconnect between driver perception and reality in America. Sadly, this suggests the distracted driver problem is only going to get worse.

How Big is the Distracted Driver Problem?

Last year, traffic deaths in America rose by 7.2 percent. This is the largest increase in 50 years. Even more concerning is that distracted driving is also increasing. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distraction-related crashes rose by more than eight percent in the past year. Further, around 10 percent of the 35,000 accidents in 2015 were due to distracted driving.