Despite improvement, distracted driving is still a ‘big problem,’ Minnesota officials say

There is some good news on the distracted driving front: It declined last year.

Cambridge Mobile Telematics data showed motorists nationwide collectively spent less time handling their phones and tapping screens while behind the wheel in 2024, adding up to an overall 8.6% drop in the risky behavior, the company said in a preview of its upcoming report “The State of US Road Risk.”

Despite the improvement, drivers still can’t totally break the habit of looking at their screens. They do so on average of at least once per trip, the report said.

That is still a big problem, said Mike Hanson with the state’s Office of Traffic Safety. Distracted driving remains one of the top contributing factors in crashes in Minnesota.

“There are still far too many people interacting with electronic devices,” Hanson said, who has seen that while sitting in traffic jams on I-94 in Minneapolis. “I see a number of people literally glued to that device and not paying attention in that complex construction zone.”

Cambridge found screen interaction was lowest in the winter, rose during the busy summer travel months and peaked in the fall. The Massachusetts company also found the number of drivers who make handheld calls ticked up last year, even though 30 states ban the practice.

Minnesota’s hands-free law prohibits drivers from holding a phone, and from reading or sending text messages or emails and accessing the Internet even if a phone is mounted.

Phone use takes a driver’s eyes, hands or mind off the road, and it does not take long for something bad to happen. Cambridge’s data revealed that a third of crashes occur within a minute of driver using their phone. That aligns with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data estimating driver distraction contributes to 28% of all police-reported crashes.

Last year, 29 people died in crashes in Minnesota in which distraction was a factor, the Department of Public Safety said.

“We have people hurt or killed because they don’t disconnect from their electronic devices,” Hanson said. “We need to get people to change their behavior.”

Hanson said there is validity to Cambridge’s research, but it only measured one form of distraction.

“We know there are other types of distraction of out there,” Hanson said. “It’s the boogeyman we can’t see, but we know is out there.”

From now through May 11, the council is accepting feedback on the plan through an online survey. It also will hold a virtual meeting at 5:30 p.m. on April 30. Two public meetings will be held, one from 5 to 7 p.m. April 29 at Anoka City Hall and another May 7 onboard the Northstar’s 4:30 northbound departure from Target Field.

“The input we receive will help us design a transit system that better meets the evolving needs of communities along the corridor while providing more flexible and efficient service options,” said Met Council Chairman Charlie Zelle.