AUTO CLUB, Law Enforcement

Distracted Driving Awareness Month and Beyond

LOS ANGELES– The Automobile Club of Southern California joined law enforcement and a man injured in a severe distracted driving crash to push drivers to get off their smartphones when behind the wheel. The group also encouraged drivers to learn how to use Driving Focus features on smartphones, designed to prevent incoming calls and texts while a vehicle is in motion. This effort comes at the start of April’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), fatalities in distracted driving crashes increased by 12% from 3,154 in 2020 to 3,522 in 2021, 8.2% of all fatalities reported. Even with these high numbers, distraction is likely underreported because the behavior is difficult to detect during crash investigations, and police report probably understates its incidence. According to the California Highway Patrol, nearly 28,000 hits since the start of 2021 involved inattention behind the wheel, resulting in 185 deaths and 19,883 serious injuries in California alone.

“Using a smartphone behind the wheel is a threat to everyone who uses our roadways,” said Auto Club Corporate Communications Manager Doug Shupe. “Even though it is against the law to hold a smartphone in your hand while driving in the Golden State, we recently drove around Southern California for two days and saw hundreds of drivers using smartphones while behind the