New survey: Only 39% use do not disturb while driving
Three-quarters of drivers in the Cambridge Mobile Telematics survey reported knowing their phones include a distraction-reduction feature, yet only 39 percent activate Do Not Disturb While Driving on a regular basis. The CMT results supply a technology-focused perspective to Blakeley Law Group’s examination of fatal driving behaviors across individual states.
Regular DNDWD use rose 10 percentage points between 2025 and 2026. Phone settings served as the primary introduction channel for 68 percent of respondents. Personal safety concerns drove adoption for 73 percent of users, an increase from earlier surveys, while legal considerations affected 45 percent. Among those who use the feature, 81 percent stated it improved their safety, though the survey recorded no crash-outcome measurements.
Adoption varied sharply by age and device platform. Drivers aged 45–60 reported the highest regular use at 49 percent, followed by those aged 30–44 at 43 percent. Rates fell to 26 percent for ages 18–29 and 19 percent for those over 60. Android users recorded 54 percent regular use compared with 19 percent among iPhone users, indicating middle-aged motorists and Android owners adopted the setting at notably higher rates.
Activation obstacles persisted across respondent groups. Among non-users, 72 percent cited lack of knowledge about how to turn on DNDWD, while 57 percent remained unaware the feature existed. Even among aware non-users, 37 percent did not know the activation steps. Separately, 41 percent of drivers who learned about the feature after initial unawareness said they still would not use it. Among connected-car users, 80 percent experienced notifications reaching vehicle screens despite phone settings.
Smartphone integration with vehicle systems creates an independent notification pathway. More than 90 percent of CMT respondents said they connect phones to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto at least occasionally while driving. Vehicle interfaces retain separate notification controls that operate regardless of phone driving-mode settings. As a result, enabling Driving Focus on iPhone or Driving mode on Android does not automatically silence messages on dashboard displays, requiring drivers to adjust both phone and vehicle configurations to limit interruptions.
Blakeley Law Group’s state-level review documented 159 distracted-driving deaths in New Mexico during 2024, producing a rate of 7.46 fatalities per 100,000 residents. Florida recorded 241 such deaths at a lower rate of 1.03 per 100,000, while New Jersey recorded 221 deaths at 2.33 per 100,000. Nationally, NHTSA data showed 3,208 deaths and 315,167 injuries in distraction-affected crashes that year. These figures encompass all forms of driver distraction, not solely smartphone activity, and the data do not link state differences directly to DNDWD adoption levels.
CMT published its survey findings on October 14, the day before National Do Not Disturb While Driving Day. On October 15, NHTSA announced continued research into phone-vehicle interfaces, voice-command performance, and driver-monitoring system accuracy while also revising guidance for in-vehicle electronic devices.
The combined announcements prompt examination of whether current distraction-prevention tools remain sufficiently clear and effective as connected dashboards proliferate. Questions center on how plainly manufacturers communicate dual-system settings and whether those systems reduce interruptions to a level that supports focused driving in routine conditions.
