A Shocking Discovery of What Causes More Fatalities Than Impaired Driving

Think impaired driving causes the most fatalities in Ontario? Think again. 

Distracted driving is now the leading cause of traffic fatalities, according to Government of Ontario statistics. As a result, a new legislation was tabled today, March 17, 2014, to repel motorists from the urge to fuse driving with screen time. “Distracted drivers on their cell phones and careless motorists who knock down cyclists with their open doors are facing maximum fines of $1,000 and three demerit points,” as reported in the Toronto Star. This is a jump in fine of almost 75% from the latest increase of $280 (up from $155) set to kick in on March 18, 2014—unless the new legislation is passed and changes it.

In the same article, Ralph Palumbo, vice-president Ontario, Insurance Bureau of Canada, claimed that such a drastic deduction of demerit points should incite pause among motorists, knowing that their insurance premiums could be affected. Palumbo told the Star that, “Demerit points will certainly cause an insurer to look at a driver as a greater risk because what it says is that they are not complying with a law.” This is indeed the issue that this new legislation is attempting to address and change—non-compliance.

But distracted driving causing more fatalities than impaired driving? Let’s look at some stats, according to CAA…

1. Cell phones are one of the most common distractions for drivers: Drivers text messaging on a cellular phone are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or near-crash event than those who don’t.

2. 84% of distracted-related fatalities in US were tied to the general classification of careless or inattentiveness (according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2009).

3. 80% of collisions and 65% of near crashes have some form of driver inattention as contributing factors (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2010).

4. Distracted drivers are 3-times more likely to be in a crash than attentive drivers (Alberta Transportation, 2011).

5. 4 million vehicle accidents in North America each year are recorded as having a distracted driver as a significant factor.

6. 20-30% of all collisions internationally involve driver distraction, according to international research (Albert Transportation, 2011).

According to CAA, drivers who are engaged in the following distractions are more likely to be in a crash or near-crash even compared with non-distracted drivers:

• Text messaging on a cell phone: 23 times more likely
• Talking on cell phone: 4 to 5 times more likely
• Reading: 3 times more likely
• Applying makeup: 3 times more likely
• Reaching for a moving object: 9 times more likely
• Dialing on a hand-held device: 3 times more likely
• Talking or listening on a hand-held device: 1.3 times more likely

If you are an avid mobile-phone user while driving, these basic statistics above can be a sober admonishment—that is if the heat at our backs of the newly tabled legislation hasn’t already.

But if you think the above list of distractions is exhaustive, click here to see some really bizarre ones that you may in fact be guilty of.

As well, if you are a motorcyclist, take note that collisions with automobiles in which the motorist is at fault makes up 60 percent of cases, with distracted driving being a significant contributor.