Traffic deaths continue to fall, with the nation logging seven straight quarterly declines, federal officials said. Yet about 41,000 people died on U.S. roadways in 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported April 1. The report came as the NHTSA started a new push for awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. The rebranded "Put the Phone Away or Pay" campaign targets drivers aged 18 to 34, who are more likely to die in distraction-related crashes than any other age group. NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said distracted driving continued to be a … [Read more...]
Distraction deaths up 10%, NHTSA reports
December 22, 2020 by 1 Comment
Deaths from motor-vehicle crashes decreased slightly last year, but distraction-related fatalities were up 10 percent, federal analysts said. 2019 motor-vehicle crashes resulted in a 2 percent decrease in fatalities from 2018, according to final figures released in late December 2020 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The number of deaths linked to driver distraction was 3,142 nationwide, or almost 9 percent of all fatalities in 2019. This represents a 10 percent increase over the year 2018, or 284 more fatalities, the NHTSA reported. The distraction figure was the … [Read more...]
Appeals court clears Apple in deadly crash
December 17, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Apple Inc. did not owe "a duty of care" to the family of a young girl killed in a distracted driving crash, an appeals court has ruled. Apple's design of the iPhone used by the driver was not a "proximate cause" of the Texas highway crash and resulting death of 5-year-old Moriah Modisette, the court said in upholding an earlier ruling. The child's mother and family sued Apple for not warning of dangers from using the FaceTime video and audio feature while driving. The company also did not offer a feature to lock out the application at highway speeds, the 2017 lawsuit said. Apple had … [Read more...]
U.S. distracted driving fatalities slip 2.2%
October 9, 2017 by 1 Comment
The number of distracted driving deaths slipped in 2016, bucking the trend in a year that saw overall fatalities rise 5.6 percent, federal officials report. The overall number of deaths linked to distracted driving was 3,450, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That compares with 3,526 in 2015. The decrease was 2.2 percent for "distraction-affected crashes," the DOT said. Deaths related to other reckless behaviors -- including speeding, alcohol impairment and not wearing seat belts -- continued to increase, the DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said … [Read more...]
Traffic deaths: ‘Troubling increase’ in 2015
November 25, 2015 by 1 Comment
U.S. traffic fatalities show a "troubling increase" for the first six months of the year, federal officials say. The 2015 fatality estimate is up just over 8 percent from deaths in the same period last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Nov. 24. Distracted driving accounted for 10 percent of all crash fatalities in 2014, killing 3,179 people, the DOT said. The DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that while the spike in 2015 deaths could be reduced as final numbers come in, "the estimated increase represents a troubling departure from a general … [Read more...]
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