Distracted driving overtakes speeding as Ecuador’s leading cause of road crashes

Distracted driving has overtaken speeding as the main recorded cause of road crashes in Ecuador, according to figures from the National Transit Agency, or ANT.

The agency counted 3,598 crashes linked to distraction in the first seven months of 2026, compared with 2,603 in the same period of 2025. The category includes using a cellphone or video screen, eating and applying makeup while driving. Speeding, which ranked first in 2025, accounted for 2,566 crashes in 2026, down slightly from 2,612.

Overall, Ecuador recorded 12,933 road crashes between January and July, up 12.7% from 11,472 a year earlier. Injuries rose 10.4%, from 9,908 to 10,939, while on-site deaths increased 10%, from 1,314 to 1,445.

Guayas and Pichincha registered the largest number of crashes, followed by Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Manabí and Tungurahua. Those provinces also recorded the highest numbers of victims in the same order. The sharpest percentage increases in deaths occurred in Sucumbíos, where fatalities rose from six to 19, and Pastaza, where they doubled from six to 12. Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Esmeraldas and Carchi also recorded marked increases.

Alfredo León, vice president of the Ecuadorian Association of Sustainable Mobility, said speeding remained a major problem and that crashes often involve several factors, including distraction, fatigue, alcohol, traffic violations and poor road conditions. He identified the cellphone as a major source of distraction and described visual and manual forms of driver distraction.

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A road crash occurs because speed, distraction, fatigue, alcohol, failure to comply with traffic signs or poor road conditions combine.