Despite efforts to educate the public about the dangers of distracted driving and to crack down on this sort of behavior, this bad habit continues to cause tragic deaths on the highways in an around Houston. In an analysis of 2017 statistics, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that over 3,100 people died in car accidents in which at least one driver was distracted. On a related point, the NHTSA also estimated that 9% of all fatal accidents in 2017 were due to some sort of distracted driving. In raw numbers, this translated to 2,935 separate deadly crashes which involved at least one distracted driver.

Interestingly, of those 2,935 crashes, only 401 of them, or about 15%, involved a motorist texting and driving or otherwise using a phone while behind the wheel. What this means is that, despite the focus on modern technology’s role in the distracted driving epidemic, most fatal accidents involving a distracted driver had nothing to do with cell phone use.

Indeed, distracted driving can include any behavior that takes a person’s eyes off of the road or mind off of driving. By way of example, accidents have been known to happen because a driver is distracted by food or a cup of coffee. In other cases, a driver may crash because he tried to tune the radio or adjust the air conditioning. Sometimes, even an animated discussion between a driver and passengers can contribute to an accident.

No matter what is going on around them, it is critical that Texas motorists pay full attention to the road at all times. If they fail to do so, they can cause a serious or even fatal accident.