State and local leaders are gathered in Richmond earlier this month for Drive Smart Virginia’s 11th Annual Distracted Driving Summit, discussing strategies for changing motorist behavior to reduce distracted driving incidents.
“We’re starting to realize we’re having a major epidemic with distracted driving, and it’s killing people,” said Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Gerald F. Lackey.
New research suggests that talking on a hand-held phone while driving is as dangerous as driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08, which is the minimum level that defines drunk driving in most U.S. states. Distracted driving accounts for 17% of all traffic crashes in Virginia, resulting in 61 fatalities and 7,200 injuries, as well as 21,528 crashes in 2023.
“Think about the progress we made with seat belt usage,” said Rick Birt, director of the Washington, D.C. Highway Safety Office. “We started out with no seat belts. Now, over 90% of individuals changed their behavior, and are buckling up.”