What Distracted Driving Behavior Causes the Most Accidents? In recent years, distracted driving has reached epidemic levels. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that over 3,400 people died in distracted driving crashes in 2016, and the number continues to climb. The NHTSA also reports that 391,000 people were injured in distracted driving accidents in 2015. While most people associate cell phones with distracted driving, the NHTSA defines distracted driving as, “any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system — anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.”¹