We are talking about the 2009 Distracted Driving Report, a statistic which shows the result of one of the most discussed issues in the automotive industry in recent years: distracted driving. And the numbers provided in the report are not at all encouraging.
According to the NHTSA, the proportion of fatalities associated with driver distraction increased from 10 percent to 16 percent between 2005 and 2009. Mind you that the increase comes for a period when the total number of fatalities on US roads, regardless of their causes, are at the lowest point in 50 years.
A total of 5,474 lives were lost in 2009 due to distracted driving, with the number of people injured as a result of such crashes reaching 448,000. In 2009, the number of people dead due to distracted driving accounted for 16 percent of overall traffic fatalities in 2009, the same as in 2008.
"These numbers show that distracted driving remains an epidemic in America, and they are just the tip of the iceberg," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "I'm convening our second Distracted Driving Summit in the hopes that we can continue to draw attention to the dangers of distracted driving and work together to save lives."
What's even more worrying is that the group of people prone to be the victims of distracted driving are in the under-20 age group. To tackle all these issues, a National Distracted Driving Summit will be held today, September 21, in Washington.
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