Distracted Driving Report – The States With the Least and Most Distracted Driving

In April 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released data for 2022 that illustrated traffic deaths due to distracted driving increased by 12 percent from 2020 but decreased compared to 2021 to 6%.

Every year, thousands of drivers and passengers are fatally injured as a result of distracted driving. In 2022, roughly 2,109 drivers aged 15 to 20 were killed in car crashes involving a distracted driver, marking a significant rise from the 1,885 drivers within the same age group who were fatally injured in the preceding year.

In this report, we’ve pulled together the latest numbers to identify the major causes of distracted driving, what the trends look like through recent years, and which states have the greatest distracted driving issues and the highest number of fatal road accidents. We’ve then ranked each state from best to worst.

What is distracted driving?

Distracted driving occurs when the operator of the vehicle is trying to do something else besides drive. Since the driver’s attention is divided, distracted driving will drastically boost the chance of a car accident or fatal crash.

The most common driver distractions include other passengers in the vehicle, using a cell phone, adjusting audio or climate controls, eating or drinking, smoking and daydreaming.

Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

How has distracted driving changed through the years?

Distracted driving continues to be a big reason for traffic accidents in the United States, making up 8 percent of total fatal crashes. During 2022, 3,308 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, which represented a 6 percent decrease from 3,522 deaths in 2021. Still, thousands of people were injured. During the last five years, roughly 15,961 people have been killed as a result of distracted driving.

Is there any difference between gender and age?

Yes. Men are nearly three times as likely to be involved in a fatal distracted driving accident compared to women. Male drivers were distracted in 2,201 fatal crashes in 2022, whereas women drivers were only distracted in 844 fatal crashes during the same period. In addition, about 20 percent of distracted drivers were between the ages of 15 and 24.

States with the most distracted driving

For the third year in a row, New Mexico has the most distracted driving in the country. According to statistics by NHTSA, New Mexico reported 169 distracted driving crashes in 2022. The state reported 12.52 distracted driving deaths for every 100,000 drivers, and 40 percent of all fatal crashes in the state were due to distracted driving.

The second worst state is Kansas, followed by New Jersey, Louisiana, Kentucky, Hawaii, Idaho, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

States with the least distracted driving

Both Rhode Island and Connecticut had zero deaths in fatal crashes due to distracted driving. These perfect performers were followed by Mississippi, Alaska, Nevada, North Carolina, California, Minnesota, South Carolina, and Iowa.

The large difference in distracted driving crashes could, in part, be attributed to different state guidelines on reporting distracted driving accidents. It can also be a result of extensive work by local governments on tackling distracted driving through anti-text laws, awareness campaigns, and more.

The complete list of distracted driving statistics for each state

2023 Distracted Driving Report

Methodology

Data in this report has been gathered from different governmental websites, including the Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST) developed by NHTSA.