Distracted Driving & Phones

Every year, thousands of people are killed and hundreds of thousands are injured in crashes involving distracted drivers. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for about 5 seconds. At 55 miles per hour, that’s like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.

• All drivers
• Work vehicles
• Teen drivers

The three kinds of distraction

Texting is especially dangerous because it involves all three at once.

Hands-free isn’t risk-free

Talking on a hands-free phone keeps your hands on the wheel, but your brain is still split between the conversation and the road. Drivers on any kind of phone call react more slowly and can miss things right in front of them, such as a stopped car, a pedestrian or a flagger. Voice-to-text and complicated touch screens also pull your attention away. If a call needs your full attention, pull over.

Common distractions

• Texting, social media, email and video on a phone
• Setting or changing navigation while moving
• Touch screens and infotainment systems
• Eating and drinking
• Reaching for something that fell on the floor
• Kids and pets in the vehicle
• Grooming, reading or paperwork
• Work radios, dispatch tablets and job calls
• Looking at crashes or activity beside the road

Phone laws

• Texting while driving is banned for drivers in nearly every state.
• Handheld phone use (holding the phone to talk or use it) is banned for all drivers in many states and cities. Laws differ, so check your state.
• Young and new drivers are banned from all phone use, including hands-free, in many states.
• Commercial drivers are prohibited by federal rules from texting and from holding a mobile phone while driving a commercial motor vehicle. Violations can bring fines and disqualification from driving.
• School bus drivers face extra restrictions in many states.

Habits that keep you focused

• Turn on Do Not Disturb While Driving (iPhone Driving Focus or the Android driving mode) so texts and notifications wait until you stop.
• Put the phone away or in a mount where you won’t pick it up. Out of sight helps keep it out of mind.
• Set navigation and music before you start moving.
• Pull over in a safe place to make a call, text or check directions.
• Let a passenger handle the phone and navigation.
• Eat before or after driving, not while.
• Secure kids, pets and loose items before you leave.
• Speak up as a passenger if your driver is distracted.

Driving for work

Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of work-related deaths. Employers can help by:

• Having a written policy that bans texting and handheld phone use in company vehicles and personal vehicles used for work
• Not expecting workers to answer calls, emails or dispatch messages while driving
• Scheduling so drivers aren’t rushed and can take breaks
• Using phone-blocking or fleet safety technology where it makes sense

Workers: if you know a coworker is driving, don’t call or text them expecting an immediate answer. See Driving for Work.

Teen drivers

New drivers are especially likely to crash when distracted. Parents can set phone rules, use a parent-teen driving agreement, limit passengers, and set the example by never texting while driving themselves.

Pledge checklist

• My phone is on Do Not Disturb While Driving before I start the car
• My route and music are set before I pull out
• I pull over to make calls, text or change navigation
• I don’t eat or reach for things while moving
• I don’t call or text people I know are driving
• I speak up when my driver is distracted

Last updated: October 1, 2026