Distracted Driving Fatalities Down in Washington

Fatalities from distracted driving are down in Washington, reported the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) during Distracted Driving Awareness Month, which traditionally begins in April. Recent data from WTSC show a decrease in distraction-related fatalities since 2017, when the Driving Under the Influence of Electronics Act (E-DUI) went into effect.

In 2016, the year before the law passed, 155 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver. In 2019, two years after the new law, 33 fewer distracted driving-related deaths occurred.

“Washington’s Distracted Driving law is working,” said Erika Mascorro, WTSC Program Manager, “The data shows that Washington culture around distracted driving is changing. With Washingtonians at home observing the governor’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, now is a good opportunity to review the importance of being an attentive driver, so our families will be safer when we all return to the roads.”

WTSC conducted a 2019 statewide Traffic Safety Culture Survey and found that most Washingtonians are familiar with the distracted diving laws:

Most (74 percent) know that using a hand-held cell phone while driving is illegal Most (68 percent) know that using a cell phone at a traffic light is illegal Most (69 percent) agree that using a hand-held cell phone while driving is dangerous