The number of people killed in crashes in which distraction was a contributing factor has increased, according to a new fact sheet published by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF).
The fact sheet examines the magnitude and trends in the role of driver distraction in motor vehicle fatalities in Canada from 2000 to 2015.
It reveals that the percentage of all fatalities in which distraction was a contributing factor has increased. Throughout the period studied, there were more distraction-related fatalities resulting from the surviving driver being distracted than there were for cases in which the fatally injured driver was distracted.
“Although distraction was higher than average among fatally injured drivers aged 16 to 19 and 65 and older, drivers aged 35 to 44 had the largest percentage of distraction,” states the fact sheet. “This age group would be expected to be less overwhelmed by the driving task than either the youngest or older drivers. A possible explanation is that drivers aged 35 to 44 face greater exposure to distraction-related collisions since they drive more often than younger and older drivers. Further monitoring is needed to see whether this age group remains over-represented among fatally injured distracted drivers.”
The fact sheet reveals that a greater number of distraction-related fatalities occurred during the late afternoon than other times of day. Weekdays were found to have more distraction-related fatalities than weekends. This is because there may be a greater potential for drivers to be distracted by other priorities during working hours than at other times, the fact sheet suggests.
View the fact sheet: Distraction-related fatal collisions, 2000-2015
