Distracted driver stats improve in Nevada, but concerns remain

Distracted driving is a national issue. It is worrisome here and throughout the United States. To seek strategies to reduce its frequency and make the roads safer, researchers analyze the data for auto accidents due to texting and driving and other forms of distraction. This information can be essential for legislators and law enforcement to understand how to address this problem. Recent research indicates that there has been significant improvement in many states — including our state — when it comes to distracted driving. Still, there are concerns and people can be injured and lose their lives in this type of auto accident.

Quotewizard released a study showing that Nevada has risen to one of the states with the fewest number of distracted driving car accidents in the U.S. The numbers were accrued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In the study, our state was shown to be third from the best in fewest road fatalities with 44 from 2013 to 2017. In the study, researchers looked at the number of distracted driving deaths and then compared them to overall road fatalities.

Other states fared far worse. New Mexico, for example, had more than 600 such deaths. That was more than one-quarter of distracted driving deaths in the nation. Another positive is that these fatalities are reducing in general, even with some states still experiencing it to a substantial degree.

In 2013, 6.22 percent of road fatalities were due to distracted driving. In 2017, that reduced to 5 percent. Factors leading to the reduction are believed to be rising public scrutiny and better technology.

For AAA representatives in Nevada and people who have anecdotes about distracted drivers, the commonality of people driving distracted is still problematic. The AAA representative stated that 44 fatalities — while fewer than other states — is still a challenge. People who were questioned about distracted driving stated they still see people behind the wheel looking down instead of forward, a telltale indication they are looking at a device and are driving distracted.

Regardless of the numbers, distracted driving remains a common cause of car accidents with injuries and fatalities. Those who have been hurt or lost a loved one in a collision should be cognizant of the possibility that it was because of a distracted driver.