Guess How Many Louisiana Teens Use Their Phones When They’re Driving

A new report by CoPilot has taken a statistical look at the states with the most distracted teen drivers on the road. Recent years have shown a marked decline in teen vehicle fatalities as a result of policy changes implemented by several states to reduce risks for teen drivers and those who share the road with them. Distracted driving - including using a phone while behind the wheel - is highly risky, responsible for more than 3,000 vehicle deaths annually and more than 1,000 injuries every day.

CoPilot's researchers ranked states according to the share of teens using their phone while driving in each state.

Their analysis found that 42.8% of Louisiana teens used their phones while driving, defined by the CDC as having texted or e-mailed while driving a car in the past 30 days. Out of the 46 states with CoPilot's available data, Louisiana has the 19th most distracted teen drivers.

Here is a summary of the data for Louisiana:

• Share of teens using their phone while driving: 42.8%
• Share of teens who don’t wear a seatbelt: 13.6%
• Teen traffic fatality rate (per 100k): 16.3
• Average annual teen traffic fatalities: 51

The distracted teen driving problem is, obviously, worse in some states than others. Most of the states where teen drivers report the highest phone use are rural states in the Midwest or Mountain West, including five states where more than half of teen drivers admit to using their phones while driving. Teens in these states also tend to wear seatbelts at a lower rate than teen drivers elsewhere.

Top Ten States with the Most Distracted Teen Drivers:

10) Missouri Share of teens using their phone while driving: 46.5%

9) Idaho Share of teens using their phone while driving: 47.9%

8) Kansas Share of teens using their phone while driving: 49.1

7) Ohio Share of teens using their phone while driving: 49.1%

6) Nebraska Share of teens using their phone while driving: 49.4%

5) Wyoming Share of teens using their phone while driving: 51.8%

4) Iowa Share of teens using their phone while driving: 51.9%

3) Montana Share of teens using their phone while driving: 54.1%

2) North Dakota Share of teens using their phone while driving: 54.5%

1) South Dakota Share of teens using their phone while driving: 54.5%

For a complete look at the CoPilot analysis of States With the Most Distracted Teen Drivers, including a state by state breakdown (Louisiana included), JUST CLICK HERE!

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