Distracted driving is a serious problem. But while the stats are staggering—3,100 dead and 424,000 injured in crashes involving distracted drivers in the U.S. in 2013—they remain just numbers, without much visceral pull.
SR22Agency.com wanted to change that—to show distracted driving in real time. So, it set up cameras over I-95 in Florida, filmed for 20 minutes and examined the footage to see how many drivers weren't fully focused on the road.
Some 2,151 cars were filmed in all. Check out the disturbing footage here.
It's a pretty great experiment. And the way it's been shot and edited, making the road look like a raceway—which, let's face it, it is, however insulated you feel going 70 in your glassed-in vehicle—has a chilling effect.
Here are the numbers from the experiment: Of the 2,151 total drivers, 185 of them (8.6 percent) were distracted. Of those 185 drivers, 81 percent were talking on the phone; just over 9 percent were texting; more than 6 percent were eating; and more than 3 percent were otherwise distracted.
SR22Agency.com has lots more info about the problem of distracted driving on this website. One caveat: It is legal in Florida to talk on the phone while driving. If you don't consider talking on the phone to be distracted driving, the numbers go down significantly.
SR22Agency.com is an organization that creates original research around issues concerning drivers around the country. It also provides resources to those seeking information about an SR22, a vehicle liability insurance document required by most state DMV offices for high-risk insurance policies.