Distracted driving remains one of the most preventable causes of death on U.S. roads. In 2024, 3,208 people were killed in distraction-affected crashes, and an estimated 315,167 more were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Distraction was a factor in roughly 5% of all fatal crashes and 12% of all police-reported crashes that year.

Every April, the National Safety Council marks Distracted Driving Awareness Month to push those numbers down. A truck weighs a lot more than a sedan, so a driver who looks away for a few seconds is working with less margin for error than most people on the road.

New Era Drug Testing works with trucking companies and DOT-regulated employers on this every day. Below is what the current numbers actually say, and what tends to help.

What Counts as Distracted Driving

Distraction is any activity that pulls your attention away from the road. It usually falls into three buckets:

Visual: taking your eyes off the road, like checking a phone or reading a dispatch screen
Manual: taking your hands off the wheel, like eating or adjusting the radio
Cognitive: taking your mind off driving, like a stressful phone call or just zoning out

Texting is the most dangerous of these because it combines all three. According to NHTSA, sending or reading a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for about 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s the equivalent of driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.

The Numbers Behind the Problem

The trend has actually improved slightly in recent years, but it’s still a leading cause of preventable death:

3,208 distraction-affected fatalities in 2024, down about 2% from 3,283 in 2023 (NSC, citing NHTSA FARS data)
14% of fatal distraction-affected crashes in 2024 involved cellphone use, up from 12% in 2023
Drivers age 15–20 have the highest share of distraction-related fatal crashes of any age group

For commercial drivers, a distracted moment doesn’t just risk a ticket. It can land on your CSA record as a preventable accident, and CSA records follow you.

How to Prevent Distracted Driving

Reducing distraction while driving comes down to a few consistent habits:

Set navigation and destination before you start moving, not while merging onto the highway
Put your phone on Do Not Disturb, or keep it out of reach entirely
Pull over to eat, drink, or handle anything that takes your hands or eyes off the road
If you’re fatigued, stop. Drowsiness is its own form of distraction and compounds every other risk
Avoid stacking tasks. If dispatch calls while you’re navigating heavy traffic, let it go to voicemail

None of this is complicated. It just has to actually happen, every trip, not only when someone’s watching.

New Era Drug Testing Keeps Your Fleet Compliant and Safe

Distraction is preventable. So is a positive drug test that could have been caught before it turned into a crash. New Era Drug Testing offers DOT-compliant drug and alcohol testing services to trucking companies, public transportation employers, and private car companies, along with testing for pilots, train operators, and maritime crewmen regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard.

For more information on our services, contact New Era Drug Testing today.

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