What to Know
- A study looked at more than six million individuals in order to identify the locations with the most and least distracted driving
- New Jersey drivers are the most distracted in the country; New York drivers come in at No. 4
- April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month but when it comes to this dangerous habit New Jersey beats all other states.
A recent study by Life360, a location-sharing app, made the revelation after analyzing more than six million individuals in order to identify the locations with the most and least distracted driving.
According to the “Heads Up, Phones Down: Distracted Driving Intervention” report, New Jersey drivers are the most distracted, using a phone around once every 4.7 miles.
Additionally, New Jersey is also one of the states with the highest number of crashes per mile driven.
However, the Garden State is not the only location in the tri-state where distracted driving is most widespread. The study ranks New York as No. 4 when it comes to distracted drivers.
The report revealed that Wyoming drivers are the least distracted since they use their phones an estimated once every seven miles.
Local
The study also compared distracted driving by city and found that West Coast drivers are less distracted than East Coast drivers.
Life360 determined that Miami is the most distracted metropolitan area since drivers use their phones once every four miles. Denver, Colorado, drivers are the least distracted, using their phones once every 6.25 miles.
According to the report, the time of day also determines how distracted drivers are. The highest number of distracted driving incidents happen between noon and 3 p.m., while the lowest distracted driving incidents take place between midnight and 3 a.m. Drivers are also twice as likely to use their phones during the afternoon rush hour than between 1 a.m. to 3 a.m.
The idea that teenagers are the most prevalent demographic to text-and-drive is somewhat dispelled in this study since the report says that parents are nearly as bad as their teens when it comes to distracted driving. Teens are only “6 percent more likely to use their phones while driving than their parents,” the study reveals.
The report also makes recommendations for improving distracted driving behaviors, including: telling friends and family that you’ll be driving so they don’t text or call you; ignoring incoming messages; pulling over if you must pick up a phone call; and putting away your phone in the glove compartment while driving.
