NY State Cell Phone Use/Texting-Related Accidents Surge 86 Percent

November 11, 2019  /  Marci Goldfarb

While drunk driving arrests in New York state dropped to the lowest rate in 10 years, accidents related to cell phone use and/or texting skyrocketed 86 percent since 2009.

Here are some sobering national stats:

The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year.

  • Nearly 390,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving.

  • 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving.

  • Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.

  • Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that's enough time to travel the length of a football field.

  • Texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with eyes off the road.

  • Of all cell phone related tasks, texting is by far the most dangerous activity.

  • 94 percent of drivers support a ban on texting while driving.

  • 74 percent of drivers support a ban on hand-held cell phone use.