USAA reports that within the first half of 2023, it saw an 18% increase in miles driven from the same period a year ago as well as a 10% increase in distracted driving behaviors. According to a survey from Compare the Market, 81% of American drivers have been in a car accident caused by distracted driving. The distractions drivers said they deal with most often while on the road are weather conditions, eating or drinking, dealing with children or pets, writing or reading a text, and phoning (with their device in-hand). Driving habits vary state-to-state, though, and so do the most common distractions. Compare the Market's survey found drivers in Nebraska, Utah, Arkansas and Washington, D.C. were most likely to be distracted because of vaping or smoking. Drivers in West Virginia are most likely to be distracted by daydreaming, and the most frequent distraction for Idaho drivers is applying cosmetics. Overall, USAA found that drivers across the U.S. are distracted an average of 12.1% of the time, but drivers in some states are doing a much better job of keeping their eyes on the road than others. The states USAA found to exhibit the highest level of distracted driving time from January-June 2023 were:
  1. Mississippi (17.8%)
  2. Louisiana (16.8%)
  3. South Carolina (16.5%)
  4. Alabama (16.2%)
  5. North Carolina (15.8%)
  6. Georgia (15.5%)
  7. Arkansas (14.7%)
  8. Tennessee (14.5%)
  9. Texas (14%)
  10. Kentucky (13.8%)
In the slideshow above, we'll look at the states USAA found to have the least distracted drivers on their roadways.

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Brittney Meredith-Miller

Brittney Meredith-Miller is assistant editor of PropertyCasualty360.com. She can be reached at [email protected].