The facts behind the message.
Distracted driving takes many forms. These national data and prevention resources help explain why keeping your attention on the road matters.
It’s more than texting.
A distraction is anything that diverts your attention from driving: a message, a notification, a navigation screen, a conversation or another task.
According to NHTSA, reading or sending a text takes your eyes off the road for about five seconds. At 55 mph, that is roughly the distance of an entire football field traveled without looking at the road.
Crash reporting does not capture every instance of distraction. These figures describe crashes involving drivers identified as distracted; they should not be interpreted as counts of crashes proven to have been caused only by texting.
Read NHTSA’s guidance ↗
Watch: Texting Accident
This short news video shows the aftermath of a serious traffic crash. It is a reminder to put the phone away and keep your attention on driving.
51 seconds · Includes footage of a traffic crash. Select Play to watch with sound.
Sources and further reading
We use dated, directly linked government sources so visitors can check the statistics and the definitions for themselves.
- NHTSA: Distracted Driving in 2024 (April 2026) ↗ — U.S. fatalities, injury estimates and reporting definitions.
- NHTSA: Distracted Driving ↗ — behaviors, prevention and five-second explanation.
- NHTSA: Put the Phone Away or Pay ↗ — practical steps to reduce distractions.