Beyond Distraction, Smartphones Can Be a Tool for Safer Driving

• Distracted driving accounts for around 9% of annual traffic fatalities in the US and, with the proliferation of smartphones, it's not hard to understand why.

• As federal regulators grapple with how to appropriately integrate connectivity into vehicles, the IIHS says smartphones can serve a genuine safety purpose.

• From speed limit alerts to forward collision-warning systems, using smartphones to fill in the safety gaps on older vehicles and fast-track technology rollouts could be the next frontier.

Distracted driving has become a pressing problem in the 21st century, with a world of connection sitting in our pockets or on the dash as we drive along. And modern cars aren't necessarily helping eliminate these distractions, as manufacturers push for increasingly larger infotainment screens. These distractions aren't a nebulous issue created by worried regulators either, as 84% of people admit to using their phones while driving and studies show that infotainment screens require more time to operate than traditional buttons.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says distracted driving crashes claimed over 3000 lives in 2021, representing around 9% of annual traffic fatalities in the US. And the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says the real number is likely three times higher, as surviving drivers rarely admit to using cell phones following a crash. Even more grim, crash investigators can't always tell if deceased occupants were distracted before a collision.

But how we interact with our phones while driving can also be the best line of defense against crashes, says IIHS Senior Research Scientist Ian Reagan. From Do Not Disturb features to verbalized navigation, smartphones can reduce driver workload, Reagan explained. And the smartphone industry is eager to be a part of the solution, whether for technological or liability reasons.

"Regulators and safety advocates are beginning to engage with tech companies the way IIHS has always engaged with automakers—pushing manufacturers to make numerous improvements well before they’re required by law," a report from the IIHS reads. "Along with IIHS and several other nonprofits, government authorities, and academic institutions, Google is a member of the steering committee of the National Distracted Driving Coalition, which recently showcased technologies with the potential to combat distraction, while several smaller tech firms are involved in the group."