Analysis: Virginia Distracted Driving Collisions 2011-2016



Map: All Virginia Distracted Driving Collisions 2011-2016

Distracted driving is an extremely dangerous behavior that has grown exponentially throughout the United States. Everyone knows that driving distracted is dangerous, but many people continue to engage in activities that take their attention away from the road.

Through our work, Christina Pendleton & Associates has seen the devastating outcomes of distracted driving firsthand. As a result, we wanted to see where, when, why and how distracted driving collisions occur in Virginia. With the help of 1 Point 21 Interactive, we analyzed over 740,000 VDOT crash records from 2011 – 2016. Here are the results:

Distracted Driving Analysis at a Glance

From 2011 – 2016, distracted drivers in Virginia caused 163,032 crashes , killing 951 people and injuring another 94,196 .

, and . Intersections: You are much more likely to be hit by a distracted driver in an intersection than anywhere else on the road. More than 78 percent of all distracted driving collisions (127,434) and nearly 75 percent of all fatalities (713) occurred at an intersection.

of all distracted driving collisions and nearly of all fatalities occurred at an intersection. Pedestrians bear a disproportionate amount of fatalities: Pedestrian collisions accounted for nearly 10 percent of all distracted driving fatalities (94) while only accounting for just over one percent of total crashes (1,675).

while only accounting for just over of total crashes Rural vs. Urban: While the vast majority of collisions (77 percent) occurred in urban areas, 52 percent of fatalities (501) occurred in rural areas.

occurred in urban areas, occurred in rural areas. People of all ages drive distracted: Only 21 percent of total crashes were attributed to young drivers (34,679) age 15-20.

Distraction & Drinking: Over 24 percent of distracted driving fatalities (231) also involved alcohol.

When are You Most Likely to Be Involved in a Distracted Driving Crash in Virginia?

While distracted driving collisions can occur anywhere at any time, in Virginia, you are most likely to be involved in a collision on Friday between 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. and you are most likely to be killed in a distracted driving collision on Saturday morning between 12 a.m – 3 a.m.

All Crashes vs. Fatal Crashes By Time and Day

Distracted Driving by Month

The highest number of distracted driving collisions occurred in October (15,243), May (14,860), and June (14,390). Interestingly, the most injury crashes and the second most fatal crashes also occurred in May, just one month after Distracted Driving Awareness month. January and February had – by far – the least overall crashes as well as fatal and injury crashes.



How Do People Die in Virginia Distracted Driving Collisions?

From 2011-2016, there were 875 fatal crashes linked to distracted driving in Virginia, claiming the lives of 951 people.

Map: Fatal Distracted Driving Collisions 2011-2016

What do distracted drivers hit in these fatal crashes? Other motor vehicles, trees and pedestrians were the most prevalent, but here are the 20 objects (well, 19 objects and one class of road user – pedestrians) that kill people in distracted driving crashes.

Where: Distracted Driving Collision Outcomes for Virginia’s Largest Cities

Which Cities Have the Biggest Problem with Distracted Driving?



Obviously, when looking at raw numbers, larger cities will likely have more overall collisions caused by distracted driving. However, when you adjust for population, the results are quite different.

City Total Collisions Fatal Collisions Injury or Fatal Collisions Fredericksburg 6,264.57 3.70 3,585.57 Petersburg 3,710.41 12.49 1,892.69 Salem 4,113.46 3.93 1,437.94 Staunton 2,241.03 4.09 1,357.71 Newport News 2,927.11 17.47 1,329.02 Manassas 2,023.26 2.40 1,312.00 Danville 2,961.85 16.68 1,181.88 Suffolk 2,214.30 17.44 1,121.87 Richmond 3,060.28 6.32 1,079.94 Portsmouth 1,891.27 10.40 964.87 Charlottesville 2,818.37 0.00 943.53 Norfolk 1,963.68 3.64 864.47 Hampton 1,901.93 10.91 847.32 Lynchburg 2,773.76 2.51 716.70 Virginia Beach 1,976.07 5.51 665.08 Harrisonburg 2,845.60 3.69 647.31 Chesapeake 1,414.23 10.40 646.61 Winchester 2,499.00 3.63 646.54 Roanoke 2,800.97 7.03 618.20 Alexandria 1,447.35 1.25 422.04





*All rates expressed per 100,000 population

Through this lens, several smaller cities, such as Fredericksburg, Petersburg, and Salem appear to have significant issues overall with distracted driving. However, distracted driving is leading to fatal collisions at a much higher rate in Newport News, Suffolk and Danville.

Don’t Drive Distracted – Tips For Prevention

While driver distraction can take many different forms, the growing use of smart phones is likely the driving force behind the epidemic. According to The Wireless Association, reported number of annual multimedia messages has increased by over 400 percent since 2010, while the volume of annual wireless data usage has grown by over 2000 percent! At the same time, NHTSA estimates the nearly 660,000 drivers use their phone while driving each day during daylight hours.

With these numbers in mind, it’s up to everyone to curb distracted driving behaviors and make our roads safer for everyone.