Tennessee, Delaware, Wyoming, Texas and Montana Are the Worst States for Distracted Driving

NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tennessee, Delaware, Wyoming, Texas and Montana top the nation for the highest number of fatalities caused by distracted driving, according to a new ValuePenguin.com study.

Nationally, distracted driving is a serious and growing threat to road safety. From 2015 to 2017, more than 1,400 fatalities were attributed to car crashes involving drivers that were distracted by their cell phones.

To measure and rank states which have the highest rates of distracted driving fatalities, ValuePenguin analysts measured the average annual recorded deaths attributed to cell phone related distracted driving accidents per 10 billion vehicle miles driven in the area in question using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.

Key findings

• Tennessee, Delaware, Wyoming, Texas and Montana top the nation for the highest number of fatalities caused by distracted driving- accounting for 31 percent of all distracted driving deaths in the country from 2015-2017. Tennessee in particular stood out, with a fatality rate that was nearly 5X the national average of 1.49 fatalities per 10 billion vehicle miles.
• Washington, D.C., Rhode Island, Nevada, Nebraska, New York and Mississippi had the lowest number of fatalities caused by distracted driving. New York and Mississippi were particularly notable with zero distracted driving fatalities between 2015 and 2017.
• The study found that states with the strictest limitations on distracted driving typically had lower rates of distracted driving fatalities. The research showed that in the 13 states (Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia) with the most far-reaching bans on cell phone use for drivers, the distracted driving fatality rate was nearly 30 percent lower than it was in the rest of the country.
• Complete bans on handheld cell phone use, on average, has the strongest correlation with fewer distracted driving deaths. In the 16 states and Washington, D.C., which completely ban handheld devices while driving, the distracted driving fatality rate was 44 percent lower than in states with no legislation or partial bans on using handheld devices while driving.

To view the full report, visit: https://www.valuepenguin.com/worst-states-distracted-driving#nogo.

About ValuePenguin.com: ValuePenguin.com, now part of LendingTree, is a personal finance website that conducts in-depth research & provides objective analysis to help guide consumers to the best financial decisions. ValuePenguin focuses on value, assessing whether the return of a particular decision is worth the cost or risk of that option, and how this stacks up with the other possible choices they may have. For more information, please visit www.valuepenguin.com.

About LendingTree
LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE) is the nation's leading online marketplace that connects consumers with the choices they need to be confident in their financial decisions. LendingTree empowers consumers to shop for financial services the same way they would shop for airline tickets or hotel stays, comparing multiple offers from a nationwide network of over 500 partners in one simple search, and can choose the option that best fits their financial needs. Services include mortgage loans, mortgage refinances, auto loans, personal loans, business loans, student refinances, credit cards and more. Through the My LendingTree platform, consumers receive free credit scores, credit monitoring and recommendations to improve credit health. My LendingTree proactively compares consumers' credit accounts against offers on our network, and notifies consumers when there is an opportunity to save money. In short, LendingTree's purpose is to help simplify financial decisions for life's meaningful moments through choice, education and support. LendingTree, LLC is a subsidiary of LendingTree, Inc. For more information, go to www.lendingtree.com, dial 800-555-TREE, like our Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter @LendingTree.

Media Contacts:
Divya Sangam
646 693 8445
[email protected]

SOURCE ValuePenguin