Cambridge, MA, April 3, 2025 — Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), the world’s largest telematics provider, today released new data showing distracted driving—when drivers text, use apps, and interact with their phones—dropped 8.6% in 2024, marking the second consecutive year of improvement. CMT estimates this reduction helped prevent 105,000 crashes, 59,000 injuries, 480 fatalities, and $4.2 billion in economic damages last year. The reduction in distracted driving is likely driven by increased enrollment in usage-based insurance (UBI) programs, expanded hands-free laws, greater public awareness, and the adoption of new in-vehicle technology.

Key Data on Distracted Driving Trends in 2024: 

• Drivers spent 1 minute and 56 seconds per driving hour tapping their phone screens in 2024, the lowest level since 2020. 
• Drivers also handled their phones less frequently in 2024. Phone motion distraction, when drivers are physically handling their phones, declined 11.3% in 2024 to 1 minute and 22 seconds per driving hour. This marks the first time phone motion has fallen below pre-pandemic levels, down 22% from its peak in 2022. 
• Speeding also decreased for the second consecutive year, with drivers spending 21% less time speeding compared to two years ago.

Preliminary NHTSA data align with these trends, with the agency reporting a 4.4% decline in traffic fatalities nationwide during the first nine months of 2024, marking ten consecutive quarters of reduced fatalities​.

The Impact of Hands-Free Laws on Road Safety

When drivers handle their phones, the likelihood of crashing and the severity of that crash increase significantly, with handheld calls increasing the speed of a crash by 31%. This is why the work states are doing to prohibit drivers from using their phones behind the wheel is so important. Today, 30 states and the District of Columbia have hands-free laws in effect.

In the states that introduced hands-free laws in 2023—Ohio, Alabama, Michigan, and Missouri—distracted driving has decreased by an average of 11.8% since the laws began, preventing an estimated 31,000 crashes and 140 fatalities.* Michigan leads these states with an 18.7% reduction in distracted driving since its law went into effect 18 months ago, and a 29% reduction in the last three months alone.

These new hands-free states saw more reductions in distracted driving in 2024 than the rest of the country—12% compared to the 8.6% nationwide average.

The Impact of Usage-Based Insurance Programs & Awareness

CMT’s research shows that drivers highly engaged in UBI programs are 65% safer and that these programs can help risky drivers reduce distraction by 20%. As a result, as more drivers join these programs, roads get safer. Enrollment in UBI programs on CMT’s platform surged over 220% from 2020 to 2024. These drivers knowingly and actively enroll in these programs, voluntarily sharing their driving data to improve road safety and potentially lower their insurance premiums.

As UBI enrollment has grown, so has public awareness of distracted driving. CMT’s research has shown that higher distraction awareness can help reduce it. A new CMT analysis of Google search trends found that searches for “distracted driving” increased by 57% from 2021 to 2024, indicating heightened awareness. 

“Distracted driving dropped significantly in 2024, preventing crashes, injuries, and saving lives. Expanded hands-free laws, rising UBI enrollment, and greater public awareness are driving life-saving change,” said Matt Fiorentino, VP of Marketing at CMT. “We’re encouraged by the progress, but we can’t stop here. Raising awareness, expanding hands-free legislation, and getting more drivers into safe driving programs will make our roads even safer.”

Along with these findings, CMT is releasing a preview of the sixth edition of its U.S. Road Risk Report. It can be downloaded at: https://www.cmtelematics.com/report-preview-the-state-of-us-road-risk-sixth-edition/

About Cambridge Mobile Telematics

Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) is the world’s largest telematics service provider. Its mission is to make the world’s roads and drivers safer. The company’s AI-driven platform, DriveWell Fusion®, proactively identifies and reduces driving risk, leading to fewer crashes and injuries, making mobility safer. To date, CMT’s technology has helped prevent over 80,000 crashes and protected more than 43,000 people from serious injuries worldwide. CMT partners with insurers, automakers, commercial mobility companies, and the public sector to measure and reduce risk, detect crashes, provide life-saving assistance, and streamline claims. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, CMT operates globally with offices in Budapest, Chennai, Seattle, Tokyo, and Zagreb. Learn more at www.cmt.ai.

*Estimates based on the change in crash rate from distracted driving and data from NHTSA’s report The Economic and Societal Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2019: $340 billion in crash damages from 14.2 million crashes in 2019, averaging $23,954 per crash.