Distracted Driving By State: Which States Are the Most Deadly?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) most recent data, 2,880 people died in distraction-related crashes in 2020. The toll of distracted driving deaths isn’t limited to loss of life; it can also mean more expensive auto insurance costs in places with high fatality rates.

MoneyGeek analyzed which states have the highest rates of distracted driving fatalities to find the places in the U.S. where distracted driving takes the biggest toll.

• Distracted driving fatality rates increased 12% during the first year of the pandemic. In 2020, despite Americans driving 344,389 fewer miles than in 2019, distracted driving fatalities in the U.S. remained constant.
• New Mexico had the highest rate of distracted driving fatalities for the third year in a row. It had twice the distracted driving fatality rate as Louisiana, the state with the second-highest rate.
• Texas and California, the largest states, are on opposite ends of the list. Texas has one of the highest distracted driving fatality rates relative to miles driven (1.2 per billion miles driven), whereas California has one of the lowest (0.35 per billion).
• North Carolina and Louisiana had the most significant increases in distracted driving fatalities from 2019 to 2020, despite fewer total miles driven due to the pandemic.

For the third year in a row, New Mexico has the dubious distinction of being the state with the highest rate of distracted driving fatalities relative to the miles traveled by car. Since 2014, New Mexico has banned texting or talking on the phone (with a hands-free device) while operating a vehicle. Violating this ban is a primary offense.

Louisiana had the second-highest increase in distracted driving fatalities of any state from 2019 to 2020. During this period, the state moved up three positions in our ranking. Texting and driving is a primary offense in Louisiana.

In addition to being one of the worst states for distracted driving, Louisiana is also one of the most expensive states for auto insurance. Because of this, finding cheap car insurance in Louisiana can be difficult; to find the best rate, it’s important that drivers compare car insurance costs from at least three providers to find the best rate available.

Kansas ranked third-worst for its distracted driving fatality rate, moving down one position from 2019 to 2020. Kansas bans the use of handheld devices for drivers with their learner or provisional licenses and texting for all drivers. Violating these laws is a primary offense.

While total distracted driving fatalities in the U.S. remained relatively stable from 2019 to 2020, distracted driving fatality rates increased by 12%. This large increase came despite significant decreases in miles driven — 344,389 fewer — during COVID-19 lockdowns across the country. This spike comes on the heels of a nearly 10% decrease in the U.S.'s overall distracted driving fatality rate from 2018 to 2019.

The data points presented are defined as follows:

• Rank: Rank in the overall analysis, with a lower rank indicating a higher overall distracted driving fatality rate.
• Distracted Driving Fatality Rate (per Billion Miles): Distracted Driving Deaths 2019–2020 divided by 2019–2020 Miles Driven, multiplied by 1,000.
• Distracted Driving Deaths 2019–2020: The number of distracted driving-related fatalities in the indicated state from 2019 to 2020.
• 2019–2020 Miles Driven (Millions): The number of miles in millions driven in the indicated state from 2019 to 2020.

MoneyGeek calculated the distracted driving fatality rate for each state by accessing distracted driving fatality information provided by NHTSA and combining that with state highway usage provided by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. We looked at trends across years and compared state fatality rates against the national average.