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CDOT: 9 out of 10 people admit driving distracted at least once last week

Distracted driving in CO resulted in 68 fatalities in 2020
Driving a Car
Posted at 3:26 PM, Apr 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-04 20:38:11-04

COLORADO — As CDOT kicks off its "Distracted Driving Awareness" campaign, a recent survey found 9 out of 10 drivers admitted to getting behind the wheel distracted at least once last week.

"More than half of those drivers said they were often or always distracted when driving," CDOT said in a news release. "In 2020, distracted drivers were in involved in 10,166 crashes on Colorado roads, resulting in 1,476 injuries and 68 fatalities."

Top Distractions
CDOT Survey

Top distractions drivers reported in the last week:

  1. Eating and drinking
  2. Entertainment
  3. Reading messages while driving
  4. Talking on the phone
  5. Sending a message

Fatalities involving distracted drivers are up from 2018 and 2019 data.

Fatalities
CDOT data on fatalities

You can read more about the state's "Distracted Driving Awareness" campaign here.

According to CDOT, about a third of respondents noted that although their smartphones have a Do Not Disturb While Driving feature, they weren't aware of the feature's functionality.

To learn how to set up Do Not Disturb on your smartphone, click here.