The DMV.com Distracted Driving Study was developed to better understand the behaviors and attitudes of U.S. drivers in regards to distracted driving. The purpose of the study is to give academics, NGOs, and lawmakers more data to develop appropriate laws and proposals to curb the use of handheld devices while driving. The study is based on the data collected via an opt-in survey on DMV.com between May 20 and July 30, 2014. The survey collected responses from users in all 50 states and is representative of a wide cross-section of ethnicities, age groups, and genders.
The study determined that while drivers are aware of the dangers of distracted driving, they are more likely to engage in the behavior than other dangerous driving acts such as intoxicated driving. The data collected suggests that there is a need for stronger penalties and increased enforcement to diminish distracted driving behaviors. A significant number of users admitted to knowing it is illegal in their state to use handheld devices while driving but continued to so anyhow.