Side Note

Don’t wanna get killed by texting drivers? Move west!

Driving while texting — or just generally using one’s phone — is a big problem all across the country, and a new study from driving analytics startup Zendrive has tracked the common behavior across states, showing us for the first time where drivers are most likely to engage in risky, phone-distracted driving. According to its data, which Bloomberg compiled into graphic form, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Louisiana have the highest percentage of phone-addicted drivers in the country, with Mississippi taking the top spot at 17.8 percent of all drivers.

The study identifies “phone addicts” as drivers who “tend to spend 3.2-times more time driving while using their phone” than the average driver. Turns out, if you want to get away from these maniacs, you’ll have to move west. States from Washington to California, Oregon to the Dakotas all have low rates of phone-using drivers. The Rocky Mountain states form a particularly low usage region, all surrounding the state with the lowest rate of them: Idaho at 6.3 percent. You can check out the full study here.