West Virginia has strict laws regarding cellphone use by drivers. As a result, the state is among those with significantly fewer distracted driving deaths, according to a study by ValuePenguin.com.
Between 2015 and 2017, over 1,400 people across the country were killed in car accidents attributed to cellphone-related distracted driving. For the study, which was released on Feb. 27, researchers analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration to determine which states recorded the greatest number of cellphone-related crash fatalities. They found that Tennessee, Delaware, Wyoming, Texas and Montana had the highest number of deaths, reporting 31 percent of all U.S. distracted driving fatalities over the study period. Interestingly, all but one of those states have lax cellphone regulations.
In comparison, Washington, D.C., Rhode Island, Nevada, Nebraska, New York and Mississippi had the lowest number of cellphone-related distracted driving fatalities. All but one of those jurisdictions have strict cellphone regulations. Overall, the 14 states and districts with the strictest cellphone laws have a combined distracted driving rate that is almost 30 percent lower than the combined rate of the remaining jurisdictions. These include Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia. Meanwhile, the 17 jurisdictions that ban all handheld devices while driving have a distracted driving death rate 44 percent lower than states that do not have such laws.
Victims of a distracted driving car crash could be owed compensation for various accident-related damages, including medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages and property loss. An attorney could assess a client’s case and outline the available legal remedies. One option could be filing a personal injury lawsuit against the driver who caused the crash.