A new form of distracted driving has emerged: drivers watching or creating videos on platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram while behind the wheel, according to multiple news outlets.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2023 that distracted driving killed 3,275 people and injured more than 300,000, though the data doesn’t specify how drivers were distracted.
Young drivers are especially prone to this behavior. Safety advocate Joel Feldman, who lost his daughter in a 2009 crash, reports that teenagers he meets at school assemblies openly admit to sneaking quick looks at TikTok videos while driving.
Fatalities from livestreaming while driving have become more widespread, such as the death of Darren Lucas, 59. Tynesha McCarty-Wroten, 43, hit him while livestreaming a video in her car. she was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated use of an electronic communication device.
States such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois and Virginia have advanced legislation that would ban streaming or livestreaming from the driver’s seat.
