Risky Phone Behavior Behind the Wheel Historically Soars on Mother’s Day

Drivers make more handheld phone calls and interact with their phones significantly more on Mother’s Day than on other Sundays in the year, according to a new study by Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT). CMT, which provides telematics services to 21 of the largest U.S. auto insurers, found that handheld phone calls increase 6.6% on Mother’s Day.

Screen interaction also increases by 12.5%.

Nearly a third of accidents on the road occur within a minute of a driver interacting with their phone, CMT says. And those that occur within 10 seconds of a handheld call happen at 31% higher speeds than crashes in which drivers weren’t on the phone.

When drivers are calling Mom

Calling on handheld devices, rather than through a vehicle’s audio system, soars by 22% between 7 and 9 a.m. on Mother’s Day, CMT found. That stays high, at 13.4% higher, through 2 p.m. and peaks around 8 p.m., according to CMT data.

Perhaps caught up in making brunch plans, drivers start interacting with their phones more as early as 6 a.m. on Mother’s Day. The biggest increase in distraction levels compared to other Sundays occurs between 9 a.m. and noon.

Throughout the afternoon, distraction levels decline steadily until returning to normal around 8 p.m.

What’s next: The costs of distracted driving

In 2023, 3,275 people died and approximately 324,819 were hurt in traffic accidents related to distracted driving, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

Distracted driving was also a factor in 8% of all fatal crashes and in 13% of all crashes that year, according to the NHTSA.

The NHTSA defines distracted driving as “anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.”

Distracted driving can increase car insurance premiums, especially if your distraction causes an accident. Insurance rates are, on average, 45% higher for drivers with at-fault accidents on their records, Insurify reports.

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