BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Distracted driving is deadliest in these states

(Getty Images)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

maylen

https://digital-stage.newsnationnow.com/

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

(NEXSTAR) – While driving deaths went down in 2020 – which makes sense considering we were stuck at home for much of the year – there was one category of dangerous driving that actually rose: distracted driving.

Even though people were driving less, an analysis by MoneyGeek found a 12% increase in fatalities attributed to distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,142 people were killed in crashes caused by distracted driving in 2020.

The NHTSA defines distracted driving as “any activity that diverts attention” while behind the wheel. That includes eating, talking and messing with your GPS. But the organization says texting and driving is the most “alarming” form of distracted driving because it takes your eyes off the road for several seconds at a time.

“Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed,” explains the NHTSA.

MoneyGeek analyzed NHTSA’s data on distracted driving to find out which states have the biggest problem with it. They also looked at highway usage data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to determine how much distracted driving is happening per mile driven so that the biggest states don’t just end up in all the top spots.

MoneyGeek found these states had the highest distracted driving fatality rates:

  1. New Mexico
  2. Lousiana
  3. Kansas
  4. Kentucky
  5. Hawaii
  6. Washington
  7. Wyoming
  8. Illinois
  9. New Jersey
  10. Idaho
  11. Virginia
  12. Oklahoma
  13. Texas
  14. Florida
  15. Arizona

The best places for distracted driving, with the fewest related fatalities, were:

  1. Rhode Island
  2. Mississippi
  3. Washington, D.C.
  4. Nevada
  5. Connecticut
  6. California
  7. Georgia
  8. West Virginia
  9. South Dakota
  10. Utah
  11. Wisconsin
  12. Indiana
  13. Minnesota
  14. Iowa
  15. Massachusetts

Rhode Island, which tops the list of best states, saw just four deaths related to distracted driving in 2020. Meanwhile, New Mexico saw 276 related deaths.

You can see where your state ranks on MoneyGeek’s full analysis.

U.S.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Clear

la

48°F Clear Feels like 48°
Wind
1 mph NNW
Humidity
52%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
47°F Clear to partly cloudy. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph N
Precip
6%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous