Hi William,
New Jersey ranks 4th in the nation for distracted driving in Zutobi’s newly released 2026 Distracted Driving Report — and recorded the largest single-year increase in distracted driving deaths of any state in the country.
In 2024, 221 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver in New Jersey — up 28.5% from 172 in 2023. 42% of all crashes in New Jersey involved a distracted driver, one of the highest shares in the nation.
What makes this particularly striking is the policy context. New Jersey has banned handheld cellphone use while driving since 2003 — one of the first states in the country to do so — and treats it as a primary offense, meaning police can pull drivers over for phone use alone. Despite over two decades of legislation and fines of up to $800 for repeat offenders, distracted driving deaths rose by nearly a third in a single year.
Let me know if you’d like me to coordinate an interview or email Q&A with the Co-founder of Zutobi for expert insight on this topic, including predictions, ways to decrease distraction, and what other states are doing differently.
When referring to this data, please include a link back to the full study: https://zutobi.com/us/driver-guides/distracted-driving-report
Thanks,
Ana Zakharova
PR & Communications Manager, Zutobi