- Wyoming is the most likely state to be involved in vehicle crash casualties caused by mobile phones.
- Vermont ranks in fifth, following North Dakota, Kansas, and Minnesota.
- Texas has the highest total number of vehicle crash casualties caused by mobile phones at 424.
Vermont Business Magazine A new study reveals that Wyoming is the state where residents are most likely be involved in a fatal vehicle crash involving a mobile phone. Vermont ranks in fifth place (at more than twice the national average), after North Dakota, Kansas, and Minnesota in second, third, and fourth respectively.
Personal injury law firm Zinda Law Group analyzed all 50 states to determine the total number of fatal vehicle crashes between 2017 - 2021 and the number of occupants involved in fatal vehicle crashes caused by mobile phones over the same period.
These findings were converted into a percentage for each state to show the extent to which mobile phones contributed to total fatal crashes. Factors included the driver in each crash being distracted by listening, talking, or manipulating their mobile phone, and other relevant incidents involving passengers in each vehicle using similar devices.
Wyoming takes the top spot with 4.07% of occupants having been involved in fatal vehicle crashes caused by mobile phones as a proportion of total fatal crashes. 22 occupants were reported to have been involved in fatal crashes caused by mobile phones out of 541 total crashes between 2017 - 2021.
North Dakota ranked second, with 3.81% of occupants involved in fatal vehicle crashes caused by mobile phones out of total fatal crash numbers. This is the equivalent of 18 occupants out of 473 total crashes since 2017.
Kansas comes third with a rate of 3.79%. Whilst Kansas has a higher number of people involved in fatal vehicle crashes caused by mobile phones (72), this represents a smaller percentage of the 1,898 reported crashes compared to Wyoming and North Dakota.
Minnesota is fourth with a rate of 3.53%, specifically 65 occupants out of 1,843 total crashes, while Vermont is close behind in fifth with 3.40%, or 10 occupants out of 294 crashes.
Rhode Island ranks at the bottom of the list in 49th with zero fatalities reported as a result of mobile phone involvement. Whilst there have been 313 reported vehicle crashes in total, none of these incidents were reported to have been caused by mobile phones. It’s important to note however, that this may be due to a difference in how Rhode Island reports their data.
South Carolina, Nevada, and Oklahoma each only have a rate of 0.39% of occupants involved in fatal vehicle crashes caused by mobile phones out of total fatal crashes. 19 people were reported to have been in a fatal crash caused by mobile phones out of a staggering 4,897 total crashes in South Carolina. Nevada and Oklahoma have much smaller reported numbers with 6 and 12 reported occupants, respectively.
A spokesperson for Zinda Law Group commented on the findings:
“It is extremely sad to see the number of fatal vehicle crashes that could have been prevented had the occupants not been using their mobile phones or distracting the driver as a passenger.
“We hope that these figures highlight why it is so important to keep phones out of reach when driving or to find a solution that will minimise distractions, alongside ensuring passengers do not distract their drivers on the roads.”
Extended table of results:
Rank |
State |
Total number of occupants involved in fatal crashes caused by mobile phones since 2017 |
Total number of fatal vehicle crashes since 2017 |
Occupants in fatal crashes caused by mobile phones as a percentage of total crashes between 2017 - 2021 |
1. |
Wyoming |
22 |
541 |
4.07% |
2. |
North Dakota |
18 |
473 |
3.81% |
3. |
Kansas |
72 |
1,898 |
3.79% |
4. |
Minnesota |
65 |
1,843 |
3.53% |
5. |
Vermont |
10 |
294 |
3.40% |
6. |
Montana |
27 |
914 |
2.95% |
7. |
Utah |
35 |
1,258 |
2.78% |
8. |
Delaware |
15 |
574 |
2.61% |
9. |
Alabama |
109 |
4,333 |
2.52% |
10. |
Michigan |
118 |
4,835 |
2.44% |
11. |
Texas |
424 |
17,549 |
2.42% |
12. |
Hawaii |
11 |
483 |
2.28% |
13. |
Massachusetts |
39 |
1,718 |
2.27% |
14. |
Illinois |
115 |
5,183 |
2.22% |
15. |
Alaska |
7 |
318 |
2.20% |
16. |
Iowa |
29 |
1,544 |
1.88% |
17. |
Louisiana |
69 |
3,754 |
1.84% |
18. |
Wisconsin |
50 |
2,746 |
1.82% |
19. |
Ohio |
94 |
5,525 |
1.70% |
20. |
Virginia |
67 |
4,037 |
1.66% |
21. |
Colorado |
46 |
2,945 |
1.56% |
22. |
Missouri |
67 |
4,377 |
1.53% |
23. |
Maine |
11 |
719 |
1.53% |
24. |
New Hampshire |
8 |
526 |
1.52% |
25. |
Pennsylvania |
73 |
5,389 |
1.35% |
26. |
Washington |
36 |
2,679 |
1.34% |
27. |
Maryland |
34 |
2,567 |
1.32% |
28. |
New Mexico |
24 |
1,853 |
1.30% |
29. |
California |
234 |
18,137 |
1.29% |
30. |
Kentucky |
45 |
3,495 |
1.29% |
31. |
South Dakota |
7 |
572 |
1.22% |
32. |
Tennessee |
64 |
5,304 |
1.21% |
33. |
Mississippi |
35 |
3,167 |
1.11% |
34. |
Indiana |
44 |
4,044 |
1.09% |
35. |
Arizona |
49 |
4,772 |
1.03% |
36. |
Idaho |
11 |
1,072 |
1.03% |
37. |
Georgia |
73 |
7,413 |
0.98% |
38. |
New Jersey |
28 |
2,857 |
0.98% |
39. |
Arkansas |
23 |
2,664 |
0.86% |
40. |
West Virginia |
10 |
1,298 |
0.77% |
41. |
Oregon |
16 |
2,316 |
0.69% |
42. |
Connecticut |
9 |
1,338 |
0.67% |
43. |
Florida |
102 |
15,342 |
0.66% |
44. |
New York |
29 |
4,785 |
0.61% |
45. |
Nebraska |
6 |
1,032 |
0.58% |
46. |
North Carolina |
36 |
6,935 |
0.52% |
47. |
Oklahoma |
12 |
3,081 |
0.39% |
48. |
Nevada |
6 |
1,545 |
0.39% |
49. |
South Carolina |
19 |
4,897 |
0.39% |
50. |
Rhode Island |
0 |
313 |
0.00% |
|
National |
2,553 |
177,409 |
1.44% |
Methodology:
This study looked at the US states that had the highest percentage of occupants involved in fatal vehicle crashes due to mobile phones when compared of the total number of crashes between 2017 - 2021. All 50 states have reported data for the total number of crashes each year, alongside the type of crash and how many occupants were involved. This allowed for analysis to determine the relationship between each of these datasets.
Source: Zinda Law Group, Part of Search Intelligence Ltd. Company registered in England No. 09361526. 8.18.2023.