Thursday, October 17, 2024, is the third annual Do Not Disturb While Driving Day. This national day is to highlight the continuing danger of using a cell phone while driving, and to educate the public on how technology can help stop distractions. It draws attention to a life-saving feature that is already integrated into every smartphone. Do Not Disturb While Driving settings block calls, texts and other notifications while driving, and help drivers stay focused on the road.

AAA is partnering with the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB’s) National Distracted Driving Coalition (NDDC) to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. “Drivers are often tempted to reach for their phones and respond immediately, but too often, that behavior can lead to dangerous distraction behind the wheel,” said Elizabeth Carey, director of public relations at AAA Western and Central New York. “Do Not Disturb While Driving Day encourages drivers to use simple technology to keep everyone safe.”

The NDDC urges drivers to choose to turn on the do not disturb function on their phones and to tell others to do the same.

The majority of motorists consider phone use behind the wheel to be a serious threat to their safety, yet drivers continue to take risks despite startling statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the NTSB.

 •    According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving claimed 3,308 lives in 2022. An estimated 289,310 additional people were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2022.
•    Distracted driving is under reported and doesn’t always leave clear evidence, so the true toll of distracted driving is surely much larger.
•    A recent government study estimates that distraction was involved in 28% of all crashes in 2021, resulting in 12,405 fatalities and a societal cost of $158 billion.
•    Do Not Disturb While Driving automatically silences and prevents incoming notifications from appearing on screen when a mobile phone connects to a vehicle or if it senses vehicle movement. These setting are available on Apple, Android and Pixel phones.
•    While DNDWD settings can help keep drivers focused, research has found that few drivers have the feature set to automatically engage while driving.
•    Most crashes occur during the workday or daily commute.

In New York, the latest numbers from NHTSA show that the state had 115 fatal crashes involving a distracted driver in 2020.

AAA encourages all motorists to eliminate distracted driving. For more information visit AAA.com/dontdrivedistracted.