How distracted driving affects you
Distracted driving is one of the great unreported traffic safety problems facing Canadians today. Evidence available on distracted driving paints an incomplete picture of the risks posed by distractions. Only a handful of studies have been conducted on the subject. Earlier studies had suggested driver distractions were estimated to cause between 20 and 40 per cent of all collisions. The most recent data available today concludes that 8 out of every 10 collisions are caused by driver distractions.
While numbers may vary, the evidence to date clearly shows that driver distraction is an important issue for road safety. It is also evident that distracted driving affects more than just drivers and passengers on our roads.
Collisions caused by distracted drivers negatively impact the health of Canadians, our safety, our trade and tourism, and perhaps most importantly, they leave lifelong impacts on the friends and families of the loved ones who perish in fatal collisions.
It is important to be aware of the severity of driver distractions and learn ways to diminish their occurrences. Without adequate information and awareness, driver distractions will only continue to increase, needlessly risking the lives of more Canadians, and costing us all more health care and safety dollars, impacting our productivity and our families.