25 Worst States for Distracted Driving in 2022

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Last Updated: 9/23/2022
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Driving in America means sharing the road with distracted drivers — or being distracted yourself. Talking on the phone, checking your directions or even daydreaming can steal your focus and put you at risk of an accident.

Distracted driving isn’t just dangerous; it’s expensive. Finding affordable car insurance after an accident can be difficult and may mean paying up to $400 more per year for coverage.

Despite laws to prevent distracted driving in virtually every state, fatality rates rose 12% from 2019 to 2020. MoneyGeek analyzed the number of distracted driving deaths in each state and ranked states based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to find the worst states in the U.S. for distracted driving.

MoneyGeek ranked the 25 worst states for distracted driving from least dangerous to most dangerous below.


  • 25. Maine
    Maine
    • 0.82Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 23Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 27,9572019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 24. Vermont
    Vermont
    • 0.82Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 11Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 13,3532019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 23. Tennessee
    Tennessee
    • 0.85Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 135Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 159,2842019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 22. Colorado
    Colorado
    • 0.85Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 88Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 103,2762019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 21. North Dakota
    North Dakota
    • 0.86Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 16Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 18,5942019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 20. Alaska
    Alaska
    • 0.89Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 10Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 11,1872019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 19. Missouri
    Missouri
    • 0.91Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 139Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 151,9652019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 18. North Carolina
    North Carolina
    • 0.92Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 210Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 228,8172019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 17. New York
    New York
    • 0.98Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 223Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 226,4632019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 16. Montana
    Montana
    • 1.04Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 26Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 24,9962019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 15. Arizona
    Arizona
    • 1.12Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 152Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 136,0392019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 14. Florida
    Florida
    • 1.18Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 514Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 434,5902019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 13. Texas
    Texas
    • 1.21Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 665Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 548,8092019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 12. Oklahoma
    Oklahoma
    • 1.21Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 105Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 86,6482019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 11. Virginia
    Virginia
    • 1.22Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 197Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 161,5422019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 10. Idaho
    Idaho
    • 1.38Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 49Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 35,4642019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 9. New Jersey
    New Jersey
    • 1.54Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 223Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 144,5462019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 8. Illinois
    Illinois
    • 1.60Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 322Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 201,6462019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 7. Wyoming
    Wyoming
    • 1.60Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 32Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 20,0082019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 6. Washington
    Washington
    • 1.69Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 196Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 116,1882019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 5. Hawaii
    Hawaii
    • 1.97Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 39Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 19,8092019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 4. Kentucky
    Kentucky
    • 2.0Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 195Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 95,9462019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 3. Kansas
    Kansas
    • 2.4Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 146Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 59,6972019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 2. Louisiana
    Louisiana
    • 2.6Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 262Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 99,7342019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)
  • 1. New Mexico
    New Mexico
    • 5.4Distracted Driving Fatality Rate
    • 276Distracted Driving Deaths 2019-2020
    • 51,5282019-20 Miles Driven (Millions)

About Deb Gordon

Deb Gordon headshot

Deb Gordon is the co-founder and CEO of Umbra Health Advocacy, and author of The Health Care Consumer’s Manifesto (Praeger 2020), a book about shopping for health care based on consumer research she conducted as a senior fellow in the Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government between 2017 and 2019. Her research and writing have been published in JAMA Network Open, the Harvard Business Review blog, USA Today, RealClear Politics, TheHill, and Managed Care Magazine.

Deb previously held executive roles in health insurance and health care technology services. Deb is an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow and an Eisenhower Fellow, for which she traveled to Australia, New Zealand and Singapore to explore the role of consumers in high-performing health systems. She was a 2011 Boston Business Journal 40-under-40 honoree, and a volunteer in MIT’s Delta V start-up accelerator, the Fierce Healthcare Innovation Awards and in various mentorship programs.