Data from the Tennessee Department of Safety TITAN Division shows that on March 31, 2021, the total number of traffic fatalities in Tennessee was 274, only three months into the year. On the same date in 2020, the total was 236, and 224 in 2019 (THSO, 2021).
In the United States, distracted driving killed 3,142 people in 2019, a 10% rise from 2018. Younger drivers seem to be more vulnerable to texting and driving. Since 2007, drivers aged 16 to 24 have been observed using portable electronic devices when driving at a higher speed than older drivers, according to NHTSA studies. But make no mistake: it isn’t just young people who are distracted while driving, as drivers of all ages aren’t far away (NHTSA, 2021).
References
NHTSA. (2021, March 29). April is distracted driving awareness month. Retrieved April 01, 2021, from https://www.nhtsa.gov/distracted-driving/april-distracted-driving-awareness-month
THSO. (2021, March 31). Tennessee traffic fatalities (March 2021 vs. 2020/2019) [Facebook post]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1082254065616041
USDOTNHTSA. (2020, October 2). Déjà vu (Full) [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjIEEp856Lw
