By Dave Bean, FMW Associate Editor
New Mexico has the dubious distinction of being the deadliest state in the United States when it comes to distracted driving. Nearly 41% of all road deaths there are attributed to drivers whose attention was not on the road at the time of the incident. Hawaii (29%) and Kansas (21%) finished second and third respectively in this category.
New Mexico’s inflated rate of fatalities due to distractions is 5 times the national average, while Hawaii’s figure was 3 ½ times that measure. The Kansas rate was 2 ½ times the U.S. average. Rounding out the top ten in a race no state wants to win was Louisiana, New Jersey, Washington, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, and Idaho.
According to the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and analyzed by the legal staff at Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC, cell phone usage and reaching for that cell phone and other items in the vehicle are the leading culprits leading to distracted driving fatalities.
Here are the Top Ten Distractions resulting in Fatalities:
- Mobile phone related
- Distracted by outside person, object or event
- By other occupant(s)
- While using or reaching for device/object brought into vehicle
- While using other components/controls integral to vehicle
- Adjusting audio or climate controls
- Eating or drinking
- Lost in thought/day dreaming
- By a moving object in vehicle
- Smoking related
According to a representative from Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC, “The NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System is a crucial tool for illuminating how and why fatal crashes happen on our roads…particularly important, as the number of technology-related distractions are likely to only increase in the future, so it is important that we are mindful of responding to these in a way that is safe for ourselves and other road users.”
