There’s been a consistent rise in distracted driving in teens as they return to school during the period between early August through Labor Day, according to new data from Cambridge Mobile Telematics.

The new analysis comes from CMT’s 2023 distracted driving report, The State of Distracted Driving in 2023 & the Future of Road Safety. The report reveals phone screen interaction during the back-to-school period has increased from 2020 to 2022.

CMT defines screen interaction as any tapping behavior on the phone’s screen while the vehicle is in motion. This can include everything from writing an email or a text to using an app, entering a phone number or playing a game.

The most distracted drivers are 240 percent more likely to crash, the telematics company reported.

In 2020, drivers spent 1 minute and 52 seconds on their phones per driving hour from Aug. 1 through Labor Day. By 2022, teen distracted driving rose to 2 minutes and 9 seconds—a 15 percent increase, the report noted.

CMT’s data shows that every 10 percent rise in distracted driving increases the crash rate by 1.4 percent.

It’s estimated that the 15 percent increase in distracted driving during the back-to-school season was responsible for an additional 31,000 crashes, 80 fatalities and over $740 million in economic damages in 2022, the mobile telematics provider reported.

“Distracted driving is and continues to be a concern for everyone on the roads, especially during the busy back-to-school season,” said Grady Irey, UBI and product innovation vice president at American Family Insurance.

The insurer works to incentivize policyholders through their DriveMyWay program and through other usage-based car insurance programs with the goal of ending distracted driving.

Distracted driving has been higher during the back-to-school period in two out of the past three years, CMT reported. Compared to the rest of the year, distracted driving was 5.7 percent higher in 2020 and 5 percent higher in 2021 during back-to-school; however, in 2022, there was a 3.7 percent decrease in distracted driving during back to school.

“With these data-driven analyses, we’re working to educate people on the dangers of distracted driving and sounding the alert on disturbing distraction trends that would otherwise be invisible to drivers,” said Matt Fiorentino, VP of Marketing for Cambridge Mobile Telematics. “For everyone with kids going back to school or who lives or drives near a school, this 15 percent increase in distraction should be a wake-up call. Any moment of distracted driving can have irreversible and devastating outcomes.”

According to the CDC, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among American teenagers. In 2020, about 2,800 teenagers were killed in car crashes in the U.S., nearly eight every day.

CMT’s survey data shows that young people are 40 percent more likely to drive distracted every day.