Distracted Driving

In the last five years, no behavior on our roadways has become more alarming than distracted driving. Distracted driving can be anything that diverts the driver’s attention from the task of driving. Cell phone related crashes, in particular, are one of the fastest growing causes of traffic crashes in Missouri and continue to increase each year. Furthermore, we know these intentional acts are under reported in traffic crashes, thus contributing to even more crashes than the data suggests.

Missourians have identified cell phone use as one of the most concerning behaviors they readily observe on our roadways. This supports recent data from AT&T that nearly 9 in 10 people engage in some level of smartphone activity while driving. Sadly, over half of the distracted driving fatalities in Missouri claimed the life of another person. 

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Distracted Driving Statistics
71
People killed in MO distracted driving crashes in 2021
74%
Of distracted drivers in fatal crashes were older than 21 years of age
52%
Of people killed, were someone other than the distracted driver.
15%
Average decrease in fatality rates for states with a hands-free law
Year End 2021

Additional Resources