Nevada drivers less distracted than drivers in other states, study says
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Nevada drivers are less like to drive distracted than drivers from other states, according to a new study released by Quotewizard.
The organization's analysts looked at data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Still, locals remain skeptical.
"I do see a lot of people texting while they are driving," said Charley O'Shea, a valley local.
People behind the wheel are paying more attention to their cell phones than to traffic.
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"It's just amazing that there are places that are worse," he said.
One study now says Nevada is taking a right turn.
"Nevada scored the third-best in that category. With only 44 distracted road fatalities from 2013 to 2017, which was a 2.03 percent of overall road fatalities," said Adam Johnston, a research analyst with the firm.
Johnston said the study compared road fatalities caused by distracted drivers to overall deaths on the road.
He said the data shows a stark contrast to New Mexico, where the state experienced 604 fatalities, accounting for 26 percent of deaths across the country.
The good news, Johnston says, is that the numbers are going down nationwide.
Distracted driving accounted for 6.22 percent of deaths on the road in 2013 compared to just five percent in 2017.
Johnston said it is in part because public awareness is increasing and technology is helping us become less distracted. Hands-free devices and "do not disturb" features on smartphones are helping block distractions.
"It's great that we see a study that shows the number of distracted driving deaths in Nevada is lower than in most other states, but I mean 44 deaths in that time span is still a lot for something that is completely avoidable," said Sergio Avila with AAA Nevada, who calls the data a positive sign.
Another interesting note was that there was little difference between states that do have laws against texting and driving.
Both the most distracted state, Nevada, and the least distracted state, Mississippi, don't have any laws that address the problem.
