Drivers will often drive their vehicles every day, and especially when they drive familiar routes, their mind “goes into autopilot,” with attention to the process lessened and the dangers of distracted driving increased.
Those distractions can easily become deadly — for pedestrians, bicyclists, passengers and drivers. In 2023, distracted driving resulted in 3,276 deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Between the many distractions of everyday life as well as the seemingly accelerating number of distractions inherent in modern cell phones and vehicle dashboard features, the problems of distracted driving seem to be ever-growing. For example, the SC Municipal Insurance and Risk Financing Fund reported a 22% increase in the total incurred claims for vehicle accidents in December 2024, as compared to the same time in 2023.
Actions like texting or otherwise using a cell phone is now the classic example of a driving distraction, and an important new state law passed in 2025, the SC Hands-Free and Distracted Driving Act, will now regulate this. Even so, any activity that diverts attention away from the road is a distraction — and attention is a finite resource.
The National Safety Council notes in its guide on driver distraction that people “cannot accomplish more than one cognitively demanding task in the same time frame with optimal focus and effectiveness given to each task. One task is primary and the other is secondary.”
The distractions that can take away from this focus include those that are cognitive, manual and visual.
Cognitive distractions
Cognitive distractions can be thought of as a mental workload — all the things that are in drivers’ heads that do not involve the driving process. This can include anything going on in the drivers’ lives, like stressors or responsibilities, but it can also be other factors taking place in the vehicle — cell phones, talking to a passenger or listening to music.
Manual distractions
Safe driving requires both hands on the steering wheel. Anything that takes either hand off the steering wheel is a manual distraction. Examples are changing the radio station, going through the console, reaching into the passenger seat, eating, drinking, smoking or using a mobile device.
Visual distractions
Visual distractions are those that take the driver’s eyes off the road, such as looking at the radio or any dashboard display, shifting attention to an object on the roadside, consulting a map or reading a text.
Taking eyes off the road can be serious, especially at higher speeds. A driver who is traveling 55 miles per hour and reads a text message for less than 5 seconds will travel the length of a football field without looking at the road — resulting in the same level of danger as driving the same distance blindfolded.
Reducing distractions
Supervisors can encourage safe driving in a number of ways:
- Train employees on avoiding distracted driving. This can be accomplished by encouraging participation in the National Safety Council’s Defensive Driver Course. The Municipal Association’s Risk Management Services offers the four-hour course to SC Municipal Insurance Trust and SC Municipal Insurance and Risk Financing Fund members, available by contacting Loss Control staff at losscontrol@masc.sc. SCMIT and SCMIRF members can also take advantage of online training for distracted driving through LocalGovU.
- Establish a distracted driving policy banning all employee use of cell phones or mobile devices while driving. While South Carolina’s new hands-free cell phone law covers some of this, policies can address items not included in the law, such as the use of hands-free and voice command systems.
- Consider other possibilities for assisting drivers who may experience distractions. Cities can use telematics or in-cab cameras with integration of artificial intelligence that can detect distracted or drowsy driving, and give real-time alerts to the driver for coaching behaviors.
When drivers are alert, they are less likely to cause a collision, and they are better positioned to take evasive action to avoid a wreck.
The NHTSA website, has resources on driving risks such as distracted driving, drowsy driving and speeding.
SC Hands-Free and Distracted Driving Act
In May, the South Carolina General Assembly passed bill H3276 to significantly restrict usage of cell phones while driving. It takes effect September 1, 2025, and for the first 180 days, officers will issue only warnings for violations.
The law governs the use of a “mobile electronic device” while driving, such as a cell phone, but it also covers any similar electronic device or video game.
When operating a motor vehicle on a public road, drivers face several prohibitions:
- Using the device by holding or otherwise supporting it. There are exceptions for earpieces or voice-based communications through a wrist device.
- Reading, writing or sending a text message or other text material.
- Watching video of any kind.
H3276 does allow drivers to use a phone or other electronic device for navigation, listening to audio, obtaining traffic information in a way that does not require typing, or initiating or ending a cell phone call or using voice-to-text in a way that does not require typing.
The law has some exceptions in which a driver may use their phone while touching it:
- The vehicle is lawfully stopped or parked.
- The driver is reporting an accident, emergency or safety hazard to a public safety official.
- The driver is performing official duties as a first responder.