Merry Christmas everyone and here’s some data which highlights how easy it is to drive distracted, then have an accident this time of year. Several factors at play here, beyond the CMT data research below. People are often very tired from long drives, stuck in jams etc. Or exhausted from working long hours in retail or delivery running up to Christmas. Then there those of us who have a car full of people ahnd children, all requiring attention during said long journeys.
But smartphone usage can also be a primary cause of collisions, so switch it into airplane mode as you drive home before and after Christmas.
Chris Rea on the radio for the 278th time isn’t that bad..is it? Here’s the word.
According to a new CMT analysis, Christmas and New Year’s Day are the most distracted days of the year. Christmas also sees the most speeding of any day of the year while New Year’s comes in fourth. CMT analyzed driving patterns and behaviors two weeks before and after each holiday from 2020 to 2023, covering over 100 million car trips.
On an average day around Christmas, drivers spend 2 minutes and 16 seconds per hour using their phones behind the wheel. On Christmas Day, distracted driving rises to 2 minutes and 32 seconds per hour, 12.1% more than the surrounding days. CMT defines distracted driving — screen interaction — as when a driver taps on the screen while the vehicle is traveling over 9 mph.
New Year’s Day sees similar trends as Christmas. On the days around New Year’s, drivers spend 2 minutes and 17 seconds per hour driving distracted. On New Year’s Day, distraction increases by 8.9% to reach 2 minutes and 29 seconds, the second most distracted day of the year. New Year’s Eve is the third most distracted day, with 2 minutes and 24 seconds.
The 12.1% surge in screen interaction on Christmas carries severe and fatal consequences. CMT’s research shows that for every 10% rise in distracted driving, the crash rate increases by 1.4%. We estimate the increase in distracted driving on Christmas has caused 2,000 additional crashes, five fatalities, and $47 million in economic damages over the past three years. The impact for New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve is similar.
The trend of distracted driving spiking on Christmas has held true for the past few years. In 2020, drivers spent 2 minutes and 19 seconds on their phones during the days around Christmas, jumping to 2 minutes and 38 seconds on Christmas Day. 2021’s distraction figures were lower overall during the holidays, but still saw a dramatic 11.6% increase on Christmas. In 2022, the increase in time spent driving distracted on Christmas was 11%.
While Christmas is consistently the most distracted day of the year, there is some good news. Distracted driving around Christmas time has fallen every year since 2020. In 2020, drivers spent an average of 2 minutes and 38 seconds per driving hour engaging with their phones. In 2021, this number fell to 2 minutes and 32 seconds. It fell another 5 seconds to 2 minutes and 27 seconds in 2022.
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