Distracted Driving Awareness Month: Reducing road risks through action

For farmers, ranchers and agribusiness operators, time behind the wheel is part of daily life. Whether moving equipment between fields, delivering products or commuting to and from the farm or ranch, the road is where work gets done — and where risk often lives. That’s why distracted driving remains a serious challenge, putting families, employees and communities at risk every day.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month serves as an important reminder that safe driving behaviors aren’t just good practice — they save lives. Taking steps to reduce distractions behind the wheel helps protect everyone who shares the road, especially in rural and agricultural communities where commercial vehicles and long drive times are common.

The scope of the problem — and why it matters

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Traffic Safety Marketing and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,208 people were killed in distracted driving crashes in 2024, and more than 315,000 people were injured. Each number represents a person, a family and a community permanently affected. Any loss of life is unacceptable, and distracted driving remains a leading, preventable cause of roadway deaths.

Nationwide’s 2026 Driving Behaviors Survey shows that cell phone use, road rage and heightened stress are all contributing to the ongoing distracted driving issue. For commercial ag drivers — including farmers and ranchers — the roads are feeling just as tense. Most commercial drivers say drivers are more distracted today (77%), more reckless (73%) and often fail to drive safely around large commercial vehicles (74%).

These pressures are making today’s roads feel increasingly stressful — and that stress, in turn, often leads to distraction.

Programs that advocate for safer roadways

Programs like Nationwide's Drive the 5 help by sharing best practices for safety on the road, including safe driving practices to help reduce distracted driving accidents. But it’s not enough. Distracted Driving Awareness Month is an important time to remind all drivers of safe behaviors like:

• Leading by example, especially for children and new drivers. Put your phone away, keep your eyes on the road and remain fully engaged while driving.
• Understanding the types of distraction — visual, manual and cognitive — and how quickly they can pull attention away from driving.
• Knowing your state’s distracted driving laws, including hands free or handheld phone restrictions. If your state does not yet have these laws, consider engaging with local lawmakers to support safer roadway policies.

"New Nationwide research data show drivers — including farmers and ranchers — feel stress mounting on our roads. Distracted driving is high on the list of causes for that stress," said Laramie Sandquist, Nationwide Sr. AVP, Agribusiness Risk Management. "Drive the 5 is one way that we’re working toward a single goal: no lives lost from distracted driving. Though distracted driving deaths have declined, there are still too many. That’s why efforts like Drive the 5 are so important today."

Policy to stop distracted driving

State laws and policies play a critical role in reducing distracted driving deaths. Today, 34 states and the District of Columbia ban handheld phone use while driving, and 49 states — along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands — ban texting behind the wheel.

The impact of these policies is measurable. Since Ohio began enforcing its primary distracted driving law in October 2023, traffic fatalities have declined by 11% compared to the previous two years.¹ Iowa saw similar results after passing its own law, with traffic deaths dropping 27% compared to 2024 levels.² Evidence continues to show that these laws help change behavior and save lives.

“Stronger legislation is one part of the solution, and it plays an important role in helping drivers build safer habits behind the wheel,” said Sandquist. “This effort goes beyond issuing penalties for unsafe behavior – it’s about fostering a culture of safety that helps reduce risks on today’s roads.”

Evolving challenges on today’s roads

These types of laws can help stop distracted driving. But more drivers are calling for action, especially as technologies like autonomous vehicles continue to emerge. Consumers are well aware of risky behaviors like cell phone usage behind the wheel. But the rise in autonomous vehicles on the road is creating confusion around hazards and liability on the road.

Nationwide research shows though higher among commercial drivers, driver comfort levels with the idea of sharing the road with autonomous vehicles is fairly low. Addressing such an area of rapid change on today’s roads — especially relating to distracted driving — will continue to be important for both consumer and commercial drivers, like farmers, ranchers and agribusiness managers.

“Only about a quarter of drivers say they’re comfortable with autonomous vehicles and their ability to self-drive,” said Sandquist. “It’s just another growing reason why we have to work on avoiding distracted driving. We have more distracted driving laws, but as roadway technology changes, we need to continue our efforts to educate all drivers about ways to avoid distracted driving.”

See more from Nationwide’s 2026 Driving Behaviors Survey