Colorado Flags Instagram Use by 23.9% of Distracted Drivers as 3,778 Crashes Hit in 2025
Updated
Updated · 9News.com KUSA · May 13
Colorado Flags Instagram Use by 23.9% of Distracted Drivers as 3,778 Crashes Hit in 2025
1 articles · Updated · 9News.com KUSA · May 13
Instagram topped Cambridge Mobile Telematics' list of apps used while driving in Colorado, appearing among 23.9% of distracted drivers, followed by the iPhone camera at 22.7% and WhatsApp at 19.8%.
Colorado State Patrol used the findings to stress that the state's hands-free law, in force since Jan. 1, 2025, bans holding or manually operating any electronic device—not just texting or phone calls.
CSP investigated 3,778 distracted-driving crashes in 2025, making distraction the second-leading cause across property-damage, injury and fatal crashes in the state.
Drivers spent an average of 2 minutes 6 seconds per hour interacting with phones on the road in 2023, while the app list also showed use of YouTube, Gmail, Chrome and Afterpay behind the wheel.
State Patrol chief Matthew Packard said some motorists are working, shopping and planning trips while driving, urging people prone to phone use to enable Do Not Disturb automatically.
If hands-free systems are also dangerous, are we just trading one driving distraction for another?
As cars become 'wiretaps on wheels,' who truly owns and profits from the data of your daily commute?