Distracted Driving: No Longer Just a Young Driver Issue

New data from LexisNexis® Risk Solutions released during April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month is challenging a long-held assumption about distracted driving: it’s no longer primarily a young driver issue. Distracted driving violation rates are increasing among every age group in the U.S., contributing to a troubling trend that people aren’t necessarily driving more, they are driving more distracted.

A Major Issue, Even with Tougher Laws and Increased Awareness

Over the past few years, states across the country tightened their hands-free driving regulations. As of 2025, 30 states plus Washington, D.C., have adopted comprehensive “no touch” laws targeting handheld device use behind the wheel.¹ These measures weren’t symbolic. Ohio, Alabama, Michigan and Missouri, recorded meaningful drops in phone handling and crash rates following the implementation of stiffer hands-free legislation.² Yet, even with more robust laws, overall distracted driving continues to rise. Comparing Q1–Q3 2025 to the same period in 2022, distracted driving violations increased by 57%, despite overall miles driven remaining stable nationwide in the same period³.

Beyond Texting: A New Era of In-Vehicle Distraction

Despite what most people think, distracted driving isn’t limited to texting while driving – more and more drivers, especially young adults, are far more likely to engage with social media apps, record videos, scroll content and multitask digitally while driving⁴. Mobile engagement habits formed off the road appear to be creeping inside vehicles and the driver’s seat.

Over the past few years, carmakers have unintentionally added new layers of distraction. Large center stack touchscreens, app integrated controls and complex menus can create visual tension between the driver and the road.

Gabrial Anderson, a research associate with the Vehicle, Driver and System Safety division of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, showed in a recent review that 97% of new cars⁵ globally have some type of in-vehicle touchscreen element, with many replacing familiar tactile controls. The review also stated that adjusting tactile in-vehicle controls for analog center stacks took about 1½ seconds of motorist attention. Adjusting fully digital center-stack touchscreen controls took roughly 5½ seconds of attention⁶.

Vehicle manufacturers are listening to consumer feedback. Some are creating hybrid entertainment systems and integrating more physical controls that can be maneuvered by touch.⁷

Who Is Driving Distracted? Shifting Demographics

Younger drivers are still the outstanding demographic in distraction related crashes. In 2022 and 2023, about 5% of drivers aged 15-20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted, the highest proportion of any age group.⁸

But emerging data shows that distracted driving is no longer primarily a “young driver problem.”

Taking 2022 as the baseline, numbers from a recent LexisNexis® Risk Solutions study show that distracted driving violations increased in all age groups through Q3 2025.³ 

• 48% increase in violations among drivers aged 16-25
• 55% increase in violations among drivers aged 26-35
• 70% increase in violations among drivers aged 36-45 
• 55% increase in violations among drivers aged 45-55
• 52% increase in violations among drivers aged 56-65
• 73% increase among drivers aged 66+, who represent 5% of total violations.

These shifts suggest that distraction is becoming a multi-generational challenge, affecting nearly every age group rather than just the youngest drivers.

The Trendline Is Clear—and Concerning

The rising distracted driving trend carries real implications – and costs. Bodily injury severity has risen 7.5% since 2022.³ Educational, usage-based mileage programs and incentivized safe-driving tools originally designed for young drivers may need to be expanded to a broader audience.

Our studies show distracted driving remains one of the most persistent and frustrating public safety challenges on U.S. roads. A problem once considered minor is now unmistakably major – for all drivers.

¹https://crediblelaw.com/no-touch-states/

² https://www.ghsa.org/state-laws-issues/distracted-driving

³ LexisNexis® Risk Solutions Internal Data, 2026

⁴ https://www.iihs.org/research-areas/distracted-driving?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19779867573&gbraid=0AAAAApY_OgoG_RokFNCrm7O0_Oa20fLLZ

⁵ https://articles.vafb.com/virginia-tech-transportation-researchers-discuss-distraction-potential-of-touchscreen-based-vehicle-controls/

⁶ https://articles.vafb.com/virginia-tech-transportation-researchers-discuss-distraction-potential-of-touchscreen-based-vehicle-controls/

⁷ https://articles.vafb.com/virginia-tech-transportation-researchers-discuss-distraction-potential-of-touchscreen-based-vehicle-controls/

⁸ https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813703