ST. LOUIS – A new study reveals that cognitive distractions, commonly referred to as “daydreaming” or mental lapses, are the leading cause of distracted driving fatalities in the United States, far surpassing mobile phone use and other visual distractions.
The research conducted by the Missouri-based personal injury law firm Beck & Beck Missouri Car Accident Lawyers analyzed five years of crash data from 2019 to 2023 to determine which distractions were most deadly on U.S. roads. The study compiled fatal crash data where driver distraction was identified as a contributing factor. It calculated the annual averages to reveal the most common sources of distraction leading to fatalities nationwide.
Cognitive Distraction / Mental Lapse ranks first with an average of 2,027 fatalities per year between 2019 and 2023. The highest number of fatalities occurred in 2021 (2,196 deaths), while the lowest was recorded in 2020 (1,924 deaths).
Mobile Phone Use ranks second with an average of 380 annual fatalities between 2019 and 2023. The highest figure was in 2019 (399 deaths), and the lowest was in 2020 (357 deaths).
External Distractions rank third, with an average of 260 annual fatalities between 2019 and 2023. Fatalities peaked in 2022 (303 deaths) and were lowest in 2019 (231 deaths).
Looking at the study, a spokesperson from Beck & Beck Missouri Car Accident Lawyers commented,
“The data paints a sobering picture, while phones often get the blame, the biggest threat comes from within our minds.
“Mental distractions like daydreaming or zoning out are leading to far more deaths than many realize. We urge drivers to stay mentally engaged every moment behind the wheel.”
In-vehicle controls and devices rank fourth, averaging 211 annual fatalities between 2019 and 2023. The highest number occurred in 2022 (263 deaths), while the lowest was in 2019 (154 deaths).
Passenger interaction ranks fifth, averaging 135 yearly fatalities between 2019 and 2023. The highest number was reported in 2021 (158 deaths), and the lowest in 2022 and 2023 (123 deaths each).
Eating, Drinking, or Smoking ranks sixth with an average of 48 fatalities per year between 2019 and 2023. The highest total came in 2022 (55 deaths), and the lowest in 2020 (41 deaths).
The study was conducted by Beck & Beck, Missouri Car Accident Lawyers, an experienced law firm specializing in vehicle accident representation. They handle everything from initial claim evaluation to medical care coordination and aggressive negotiations with insurance companies.
Methodology
The study analyzed distracted driving fatality records from 2019 to 2023 across the United States, reviewing five consecutive years of data to identify the leading causes of distraction-related deaths. Each year’s fatalities were compiled and averaged for each category to determine the most common sources of distraction behind the wheel.
Data Sources:
Distracted Driving Data → https://cdan.dot.gov/query
Research Dataset → https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Pj3BQgHaizuBVnYIy7wyjejseHXm6Mp1LmSYzq4rAeM/edit?gid=0#gid=0
Study By → https://becklawmo.com/