DEKRA report: Even a quick glance at your cell phone can cause a severe crash
DEKRA's Road Safety Report 2026 warns that even a quick glance at your cell phone can cause a severe crash, and automated driving features won't fully solve the problem.
- more than 7,500
- nearly 40%
What Happened
DEKRA's new Road Safety Report 2026, titled 'Working in Road Traffic,' examines the accident risk caused by driver distraction. It warns that even a quick glance at a cell phone, tapping the navigation system, or lighting a cigarette can be enough to cause a severe crash. Every second spent not looking at the road can lead to tragedy, especially for professional drivers who spend many hours each day behind the wheel.
“Even minor distractions disrupt information processing and increase the risk of near-misses, sudden evasive maneuvers, or actual crashes.”
more than 7,500
Official records; experts estimate the actual number is far higher.
Professional drivers — truckers, emergency responders, field service representatives, and courier and express delivery personnel — spend many working hours on the road and are highly susceptible to distractions. International surveys of taxi and truck drivers show people frequently make phone calls or send text messages while driving, significantly increasing the risk of an accident.
“Even entering a destination into the navigation system or writing a text message increases mental strain, impairs driving performance, and often leads to insufficient following distance or speeding.”
In freight transport, monotonous drives lasting many hours can lead to boredom, which experts call being 'overwhelmed through under-stimulation.' Drivers then increasingly engage in countless secondary activities. According to an Austrian study, nearly 40 percent of all near-misses occurred precisely when the driver's gaze was not on the road or other activities were being performed.
Electric trucks bring a new challenge: drivers must find suitable charging options and plan routes accordingly, which DEKRA says can cause 'internal distraction.' Reliable charging infrastructure and intelligent route planning are therefore essential. Even modern driver-assistance systems and automated driving functions do not completely solve the problem. With certified Level 3 automated systems, drivers may briefly perform other tasks but must be ready to retake control within a few seconds, and refocusing takes valuable time. Experts recommend avoiding tasks that require hand-held objects or extended gazes at displays; only simple tasks that place light demands on hands, eyes, and concentration are truly safe.
Previously from DEKRA
At DEKRA's Commercial Vehicles Future Day 2026, DEKRA and BGL said battery-electric trucks are already cost-competitive, but faster grid connections and reliable policy are needed for mass adoption. The event centered on the infrastructure challenges facing zero-emission trucks, including the need for a reliable charging network.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of DEKRA's official releases.
Why this matters
Professional drivers like truckers, emergency responders, and delivery workers spend hours behind the wheel and face distraction risks from phones, navigation, boredom, and even EV charging searches. Germany officially logged more than 7,500 distraction-related injury accidents in 2023, and experts say the real number is likely higher. The report also cautions that Level 3 automated systems still require drivers to be ready to retake control, so attention remains essential.
Terms in This Story
- Level 3 automated driving
- A system that handles all driving tasks in specific conditions but requires the driver to be ready to take back control within a few seconds when the system requests it.
- Internal distraction
- A mental diversion that pulls attention away from driving, such as thinking about a route or a charging plan, without necessarily looking away from the road.
- Under-stimulation
- A state of boredom or insufficient mental engagement that can lead drivers to seek secondary activities.
- Near-miss
- A narrowly avoided collision or incident on the road.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.