In a recent report from Zutobi, a driving education website, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was compiled to show the states with the least and most distracted driving. Distracted driving causes thousands of fatalities each year. In 2020, it's estimated that 3,125 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver. In addition, hundreds of thousands were injured.
What is distracted driving?
The definition of distracted driving is simply driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving. If an individual's focus is not fully on driving then the chances of being in an accident drastically increase. According to the NHTSA, texting while driving takes an average of five seconds. If the vehicle is moving at 55 mph, then in those five seconds, the driver will have essentially driven the entire length of a football field with their eyes closed. The NHTSA had divided the most common driver distractions into the following cateogies:
- Cell phone use
- Reaching for moving objects
- Looking at external objects
- Reading
- Applying makeup
- Eating
- Passenger in the adjacent seat
- Passenger in the rear seat
- Other
Changes in distracted driving over the years
Distracted driving is a major factor in total traffic accidents in the U.S. Starting in 2015, distracted driving crashes involving an injury have jumped between 265,000 to 295,000 each year. Beginning in 2020, this number has dropped to 215,000. It is believed this dramatic decrease is a result of extensive work by local governments on tackling distracted driving through anti-text laws, awareness campaigns, and more. Currently, 23 states have a ban on driving while talking on a handheld cell phone and 48 states have a text messaging ban -- the exceptions being Missouri and Montana. Missouri only bans text messaging for drivers 21 or younger.
States with the most distracted driving
New Mexico, for the second year in a row, claims the title of the state with the most distracted driving. According to NHTSA's statistics, in 2020, New Mexico had 139 distracted driving crashes, 10 distracted driving deaths for every 100,000 drivers, and 38 percent of all fatal crashes were due to distracted driving. This resulted in a severity score of 99.98 percent.
Following New Mexico is Kansas (51.21), then Louisiana (50.19), Wyoming (49.8), Kentucky (34.66), Illinois (31.84), New Jersey (30.31), Hawaii (30.25), Washington (29.55), and Virginia (26.42).
States with the least distracted driving
Mississippi, also for the second year in a row, is the state with the least distracted driving. Mississippi's stats include only 1.5 percent of the state's fatal crashes being caused by distracted driving and 0.55 distracted driving deaths per 100,000 drivers, resulting in a 4.62 percent severity score.
The second best state is California (5.46), followed by Nevada ( 6.21), Connecticut (6.69), West Virginia (6.85), Rhode Island (8.01), Iowa (8.47), Georgia (8.65), Arkansas (9.11), and then Delaware (9.31).
This report is based on data gathered from different governmental websites, including the Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST) developed by NHTSA, the use of electronic devices, and fatal road crashes and injuries involving different age groups.
To view the full report, click here.
