The percentage of drivers text-messaging or visibly manipulating hand-held devices increased from 1.5 percent in 2012 to 1.7 percent in 2013; however, this was not a statistically significant increase. Driver hand-held cell phone use decreased from 5.2 percent in 2012 to 4.6 percent in 2013; this was a statistically significant decrease. These results are from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), which provides the only nationwide probability-based observed data on driver electronic device use in the United States. The NOPUS is conducted annually by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The percentage of drivers holding cell phones to their ears while driving decreased from 5.2 percent in 2012 to 4.6 percent in 2013. This rate translates into an estimated 620,000 vehicles driven by people using handheld cell phones at a typical daylight moment in 2013. It also translates into an estimated 8.36 percent of the vehicles whose drivers were using some type of phone (either hand-held or hands-free) at a typical daylight moment in 2013. Please refer to the section “Estimating Drivers on the Road and Hands-Free Cell Phone Users” for more details on these two estimates. Please note that the level of reporting precision of the previous and current estimates has been increased to provide a better understanding of how driver electronic device use has changed over time. The 2013 NOPUS found that hand-held cell phone use continued to be higher among female drivers than male drivers. It also found that hand-held cell phone use continued to be highest among 16- to 24-year-old drivers and lowest among drivers 70 and older. (Author/publisher)
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