摘要：Objectives. We examined trends in distracted driving fatalities and their relation to cell phone use and texting volume. Methods. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) records data on all road fatalities that occurred on public roads in the United States from 1999 to 2008. We studied trends in distracted driving fatalities, driver and crash characteristics, and trends in cell phone use and texting volume. We used multivariate regression analysis to estimate the relation between state-level distracted driving fatalities and texting volumes. Results. After declining from 1999 to 2005, fatalities from distracted driving increased 28% after 2005, rising from 4572 fatalities to 5870 in 2008. Crashes increasingly involved male drivers driving alone in collisions with roadside obstructions in urban areas. By use of multivariate analyses, we predicted that increasing texting volumes resulted in more than 16 000 additional road fatalities from 2001 to 2007. Conclusions. Distracted driving is a growing public safety hazard. Specifically, the dramatic rise in texting volume since 2005 appeared to be contributing to an alarming rise in distracted driving fatalities. Legislation enacting texting bans should be paired with effective enforcement to deter drivers from using cell phones while driving. Concern is growing about the dangers of distracted driving, as underscored during a 2010 national summit that brought together safety experts, industry leaders, and several US senators to address the hazards of driving while distracted and to examine possible regulatory solutions. This concern is further underscored by the growing number of communities that are contemplating or implementing bans on cell phone use while driving. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents 11 major car companies, and the American Automobile Association joined this debate by announcing support for bans on the use of handheld devices while driving. 1 , 2 Given the increasing visibility of the issue of distracted driving in the media and among policymakers, a need exists for data to inform public policy on this important public health issue. In 2008, approximately 1 in 6 fatal vehicle collisions resulted from a driver being distracted while driving. 3 The causes of distraction have recently been debated, and several studies implicated the use of cell phones or sending text messages while driving. For example, studies using a naturalistic methodology suggested that relative to nondistracted drivers, those drivers who text are 23 times as likely to crash. 4 Laboratory and naturalistic studies showed that talking on a cell phone raises the risk of collision by more than 30%. 4 Although compelling naturalistic and laboratory data suggest that handheld devices are a driving hazard, no population-based studies of distracted driving, particularly on the magnitude of traffic deaths associated with handheld devices, have been carried out. 5 – 13 We examined trends in vehicle fatalities resulting from distractions by using a national database on all vehicular fatalities occurring on public roads in the United States. Trend data on cell phone subscriber and monthly texting volumes complemented the fatality data to provide an estimate of the relation between distracted driving fatalities and the use of handheld devices. We examined whether increasing cell phone use and texting volume may explain recent trends in distracted driving fatalities.
