New York State Among Top 20 States With Worst Distracted Drivers

It looks like drivers in New York State need to focus. 24/7 Wall St. released a report

According to 24/7 Wall St., 13% of all fatal distracted driving accidents are due to either texting or talking on a cellular device.

In New York State, it's illegal to use a hand-held phone or device while you drive, unless you are using it to contact emergency services. 'Using' includes holding, talking on, as well as using it for composing, sending, reading, accessing, browsing, transmitting, saving, or retrieving electronic data such as e-mail, text messages, or webpages viewing, taking, transmitting images, or playing games.

If you get caught driving while using your mobile device in New York State, you will receive points on your license. If you receive 11 points in an 18-month period, your driver's license could be suspended. There are also fines associated with distracted driving in New York:

- First offense from $50 up to $200
- Second offense within 18 months from $50 up to $250
- Third or more within 18 months from $50 up to $450

To rank the states for distracted driving, 24/7 Wall St. used data from 2020, which is the most up-to-date data available. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from Zutobi Drivers Ed, an online driver's education resource.

New York Lands In The Top 20 For Distracted Drivers

19. New York

> Distracted driving severity score: 20.49
> Total distracted driving fatalities: 118 — 7th highest
> Distracted driving deaths per 100K drivers: 0.97 — 24th lowest
> Share of fatal crashes involving distracted driving: 11.94% — 11th highest
> Distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes: 86 male; 28 female

New York might not have landed in the #1 spot, but we clearly need to work on being more focused drivers.

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