COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new survey by Nationwide highlights the ongoing dangers of distracted driving, with both commercial drivers and consumers admitting to risky behaviors behind the wheel.
Key findings for Ohio drivers:
- Hands-free law shows promise: The Buckeye State saw a significant decrease in distracted driving accidents and fatalities following the implementation of its hands-free law in 2022. There was a 16% reduction in distracted driving crashes and a nearly 25% decline in distracted driving deaths within the first nine months of 2023.
- Commercial driver concerns: Nationwide’s survey revealed that one-third of commercial drivers in Ohio admit to feeling distracted at times while driving. Furthermore, 60% of commercial drivers believe their colleagues are increasingly using phones and speeding compared to a year ago.
- Consumer worries: Despite generally rating their own driving positively, a large majority of Ohio consumers (92%) believe driving has become more dangerous due to distracted behavior by others.
National trends:
- The survey found that both commercial drivers and consumers engage in a variety of distracting behaviors while driving, including using GPS systems, responding to text messages, and checking social media.
- While many commercial drivers report these actions are work-related, potentially due to tight deadlines, 90% of consumers nationwide believe it’s dangerous to hold a phone while driving for any reason.
- There is strong public support for hands-free driving legislation across the country. Currently, 26 states and D.C. have enacted such laws, with Ohio serving as a successful example.
Call to action:
Nationwide encourages all states to adopt hands-free driving laws to further reduce distracted driving crashes and fatalities. They recommend visiting the Governor’s Highway Safety Association or Nationwide’s distracted driving resource center for more information.