WASHINGTON, D.C. — October 15, 2024 — The National Distracted Driving Coalition (NDDC) is bringing attention to a life-saving smartphone setting with an awareness day being held Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. The event marks the third-annual National Do Not Disturb While Driving Day.

Distracted driving is one of the biggest highway safety challenges in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that distraction is involved in 28.9 percent of all crashes in the United States. In 2021, it’s estimated that 12,405 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver. While distracted driving takes on many forms, smartphones are a major contributor. Do Not Disturb While Driving features, which come preinstalled on smartphones under various names, can be set up to automatically silence calls and alerts when a user is driving, helping to limit that distraction and the associated crash risk.

“My son, Mitchel, was killed by a young lady who chose to watch Snapchat instead of watching the road,” said Steve Kiefer, Chairman of the Kiefer Foundation and NDDC steering committee member. “Our message is simple: When you are behind the wheel, put your phone down and just drive. Enabling this feature on your device is easy and will eliminate the temptation of looking at your phone while driving, as notifications will be blocked, and the sender can even receive an automated message indicating that you will respond when it is safe to do so. I promise those notifications will be there when you get where you’re going. If the driver that killed my son had her phone on Do Not Disturb, Mitchel might be here today.”

While different operating systems and devices use different names for the feature, the Do Not Disturb While Driving function is available on all phones and can be set to turn on automatically each time the user gets behind the wheel. Once enabled, the phone relies on sensors and proximity to known Bluetooth connections to determine if the owner is driving and will automatically silence incoming notifications. Some phones also allow users to set automatic replies to inform the person calling or texting that the user is driving and will respond later. Past research has found that utilization of the feature is low, partially because it requires drivers to opt in, rather than being a factory setting. According to Cambridge Mobile Telematics, more than half of drivers are aware of Do Not Disturb While Driving features but only 20 percent consistently use it.

The NDDC encourages drivers to enable this feature to turn on automatically every time they get behind the wheel because it could save their life or stop them from taking someone else’s. Research has consistently linked phone use while driving with elevated crash risk. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, you’re 2-6 times as likely to crash when manipulating a phone compared with attentive driving.

Dialing in your phone’s settings to work well for your individual situation is key, explains Jennifer Smith of StopDistractions.org, whose mother, Linda Doyle, was killed in 2008 when a young man, distracted by a cellphone, ran a red light. “Take a few minutes today to set this up so that you’ll want to keep it enabled,” she said. “Set up an autoreply if you’d like. Designate emergency contacts that can still get through if they really need to reach you. We all have our part to play in making roads safer. This is an easy step to take. The phone call, the text, the notification is not worth the risk.”

Prominent safety organizations across the country are supporting National Do Not Disturb While Driving Day to encourage more attentive driving. NDDC encourages individuals and organizations to help spread the word about this life-saving feature. Social media graphics, how-to videos, and other campaign materials are available through the NDDC website.