This list is based on a ranking of US. states after analyzing the number of fatalities as well as data concerning the percentage of time drivers were observed using their phones while driving.
New Mexico ranks as the most distracted state, with drivers spending over 8% of their driving time on their smartphones despite the law forbidding people from using handheld devices while driving. Alabama, Montana, Washington, and Kentucky round out the top five most distracted states in the U.S.
The web site WhistleOut says to come up with this ranking, we took into account the National Highway Traffic Safety Association's (NHTSA) distracted driving fatalities data, as well as Zendrive's 2018 and 2019 Distracted Driving Studies showing the percentage of time drivers were observed using their phones while distracted. The information obtained from both NHTSA and Zendrive was the most recent data available.
1- New Mexico
2-Alabama
3-Montana
4-Washington
5-Kentucky
6-Kansas
7-North Dakota
8-Virginia
9-Missouri
10-Hawaii
11-New Hampshire
12-Michigan
13-Georgia
14-Louisiana
15-Oregon
16-New Jersey
17-South Carolina
18-Delaware
19-Colorado
20-West Virginia
21-Idaho
22-Ohio
23-Wyoming
24-Wisconsin
25-Oklahoma
26-Iowa
27-Vermont
28-North Carolina
29-Connecticut
30-Maryland
31-Minnesota
32-Mississippi
33-Texas
34-Utah
35-Rhode Island
36-Nebraska
37-Maine
38-Massachusetts
39-Illinois
40- Nevada
41- Arizona
42-California
43-Tennessee
44-Florida
45-South Dakota
46-Indiana
47-Pennsylvania
48-Alaska
49-New York
50-Arkansas