A study carried out by an organization called the Erie Insurance Group claims that most distractions actually stem not from cellphones and the like, but from the motor vehicle operator simply being lost in their own thoughts while on the road. By analyzing traffic fatalities reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2010 and 2011, the insurance company was able to deduce that 62% of fatal vehicle crashes related to distraction could be attributed to the driver being focused more on their own thoughts than their driving environment. Cellphones, for their part, are purported to have accounted for 12% of fatal crashes. The study also compiled a list of other distractions that plague drivers: passenger conversations, pets, and eating and drinking.
Click here to learn more about the study.