As summer road trips and end-of-school celebrations approach, it’s the perfect time to spotlight a pressing issue: distracted driving. Despite numerous awareness campaigns, the problem persists with smartphones, infotainment screens, and in-car technology causing heartbreaking and often preventable accidents.
Did you know nearly 29% of auto crashes involve driver distraction? According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, this results in over 10,000 deaths and 1.3 million injuries annually…a stark reminder that the fight is far from over.
Jennifer Smith, CEO and Co-Founder of StopDistractions.org, is on a mission to change that. Her life was forever altered in 2008 when a distracted driver claimed her mother’s life. That devastating loss ignited her resolve to educate communities and promote safer driving habits. Today, Jennifer is making a real difference saving lives, one driver at a time.
I had a chance to interview Jennifer to learn more.
Why is distracted driving still such a big issue?
Distracted driving is one of the biggest public safety issues of our time because our entire culture has evolved around constant connection. A few decades ago, distractions in the car were changing the radio station or talking to a passenger. Today, we carry these powerful smartphones that demand our attention 24/7, and now even our carss themselves have become increasingly connected and technology-driven.
The problem is that our brains were never designed to safely multitask while driving at highway speeds. People often think, “It’ll never happen to me,” until one moment changes everything forever.
For me, this issue became deeply personal after my mother was killed by a distracted driver. That crash changed every aspect of my life. Since then, I’ve worked with thousands of families across the country through StopDistractions.org, and what I’ve learned is that behind every statistic is a real person, a real family, and a lifetime of consequences.
What’s especially alarming is that distracted driving is still dramatically underreported. A recent NHTSA economic study estimated that distraction contributed to 12,405 deaths in 2021, roughly 34 lives lost every single day. That makes distracted driving one of the largest contributors to roadway crash costs in America, yet it still doesn’t receive the same level of urgency or public attention as other causes.
What are some steps that have been made toward solving the issue?
We actually have made meaningful progress, and a lot of that progress has come from families, advocates, researchers, law enforcement, insurers, and technology companies all working together.
Over the last decade, we’ve seen stronger hands-free laws passed across the country, currently 33 states have these laws. Major increases in public awareness, improvements in vehicle safety technology, and more conversations around distracted driving becoming socially unacceptable have all had an impact on their success, similar to how attitudes toward drunk driving changed over time.
At StopDistractions.org, we’ve helped support legislative efforts, public education campaigns, victim advocacy, and partnerships focused on changing behavior before crashes happen. We’re also working nationally through the U.S. National Distracted Driving Coalition (NDDC), which brings together experts across industries to develop real-world solutions.
I’m incredibly grateful for our partnership with State Farm for the benefit of communities across the country. They understand that solving distracted driving requires more than just awareness campaigns, it takes long-term investment in education, innovation, public policy, and community collaboration. Their willingness to be part of the solution and prioritize safer driving conversations nationally truly matters.
What can we do to help make our roads safer?
The good news is that every single person can make a difference immediately.
The simplest thing drivers can do today is turn on “Do Not Disturb While Driving” on their phones. That one setting can remove notifications, silence distractions, and help drivers stay focused on the road. It’s such a small action, but it can save lives.
We also need to start treating distracted driving with the same seriousness we’ve treated drunk driving for decades. Cultural change happens when communities stop normalizing dangerous behavior. That means speaking up when someone is using their phone behind the wheel, modeling safe behavior for our kids, and supporting stronger roadway safety efforts in our communities.
Safer roads will require a combination of:
Most importantly, we have to stop thinking distracted driving is “someone else’s problem.” Every crash impacts an entire network of people and has a ripple effect throughout them. Through their families, friends, coworkers, first responders, entire communities.
For more information and safe driving resources, visit:
How can parents and caregivers warn their kids about the dangers of distracted driving — and how to protect themselves against distracted drivers?
Parents have more influence than they realize. Kids don’t just listen to what we say, they do actually watch what we do.
If a parent checks their phone at stoplights, scrolls while they are driving, or treats distraction as normal, teenagers have absorbed that behavior long before they ever get behind the wheel themselves. So one of the most powerful things parents can do is model focused driving consistently.
But I also think we need to stop approaching distracted driving conversations as lectures and start approaching them as honest discussions about consequences and responsibility. Young drivers especially need to understand that one decision, one glance at a phone, one moment of inattention can permanently change someone else’s life, and their own.
I encourage parents to:
Turn on Do Not Disturb While Driving for the whole family
Create family driving agreements
Talk openly about peer pressure and phone habits
Teach teens defensive driving skills
Encourage passengers to speak up if a driver is distracted
And honestly, we also need to teach young people how to protect themselves from other distracted drivers. That means staying alert as pedestrians, cyclists, and passengers. We can’t assume every driver around us is paying attention anymore.
The reality is heartbreaking: most families impacted by distracted driving never imagined it would happen to them. Neither did mine. That’s why these conversations matter so much. If sharing our story helps one family avoid that pain, then it’s worth it. Because it is no longer a matter of if this is going to happen to someone you love, but when.
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