The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says distracted driving was blamed for more than 3,100 deaths in 2020.
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That's an average of almost nine lives lost per day.
Another 400,000 people are injured every year in distraction-related crashes.
Just this year, the LAPD has issued citations to more than 5,000 drivers for using a cellphone while driving.
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The Auto Club says texting is the main cause of distracted driving crashes. The group says more than half of driver admitted in a 2021 survey to texting or emailing on their phone while alone in the vehicle.
"People don't realize that if you're traveling just 55 mph, looking down for just five seconds - that's like traveling the entire length of a football field blindfolded," said Auto Club spokesman Doug Shupe.