How Many Car Accident Deaths Are Caused by Distracted Driving Each Year?
How Many Car Accident Deaths Are Caused by Distracted Driving Each Year?
Distracted driving — texting, eating, adjusting a GPS, or anything else that pulls attention from the road — is one of the leading preventable causes of fatal crashes in the U.S. and in Texas specifically.
The Three Types of Distraction
- Visual — taking your eyes off the road, like checking a phone or GPS
- Manual — taking your hands off the wheel, like eating or changing the music
- Cognitive — taking your mind off driving, whether daydreaming, an emotional conversation, or anything else
Texting is uniquely dangerous because it involves all three at once. According to NHTSA, sending or reading a text at 55 mph is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.
The National Numbers
According to NHTSA’s final 2023 data, distraction-affected crashes killed 3,275 people nationally — 8% of all traffic fatalities that year. That’s on top of hundreds of thousands of additional injuries reported annually by the National Safety Council.
The Texas Numbers
In 2023 alone, TxDOT recorded 94,410 crashes in Texas caused by distracted driving, resulting in 403 fatalities, nearly 2,800 suspected serious injuries, and more than 17,900 suspected minor injuries — a meaningful share of the state’s 4,291 total traffic deaths that year.
Who’s Most Likely to Drive Distracted
Drivers under 20 have the highest rate of distraction-related crashes, per NHTSA, often tied to greater phone use behind the wheel and less driving experience to fall back on. But distraction cuts across every age group — adults checking work email or using GPS mid-drive carry real risk too.
Texas Distracted Driving Law
Texas bans reading, writing, or sending text messages while driving statewide (Transportation Code § 545.4251), with additional restrictions for drivers under 18 and in school zones. A violation of that law, if it contributed to your crash, is real evidence of negligence in a civil claim — separate from any traffic citation the driver received.
What Distracted Driving Costs Victims
Beyond the physical injury — broken bones, brain injuries, and worse — victims face real medical bills, lost income, and higher insurance costs. If a distracted driver caused your crash, that’s a straightforward negligence claim, and Texas law lets you pursue compensation for all of it.
Hurt by a distracted driver?
Call the Traub Law Office at (512) 246-9191 or contact us online for a free consultation.
About Andrew Traub
