A study released last month found Hawaii has the sixth-highest rate of fatal crashes caused by distracting driving among U.S. states.
The study, commissioned by the Los Angeles-based law firm Simmrin Law, analyzed traffic fatality data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for all U.S. states between 2018 and 2022, focusing on crashes involving distracted driving.
Using each state’s U.S. Census population data, the study calculated the average number of fatal distracted driving crashes per 100,000 residents to identify where the problem is most severe.
According to the study, Hawaii’s average of 1.56 fatal crashes due to distracted driving per 100,000 residents is almost 53% higher than the national average of 1.02. With a population of 1,433,879, the Aloha State recorded approximately 22.4 deadly collisions per year due to distracted driving between 2018 and 2022, the study found.
The worst state for fatal crashes during that time period is New Mexico, with 7.07 fatal crashes due to distracted driving per 100,000 residents. That’s more than double the rate of the second-worst state, Louisiana, with 2.96 crashes per 100,000 population. Kansas ranked third, with 2.78; Kentucky fourth, with 2.48; Wyoming fifth, with 1.76; New Jersey seventh, with 1.41; Idaho eighth, with 1.39; Washington ninth, with 1.32; and Montana 10th, with 1.29.
A spokesperson for the law firm urged Hawaii lawmakers and safety advocates “to take stronger action through improved enforcement, stricter regulations and expanded public awareness initiatives to address this growing concern.”
“Distracted driving continues to be a serious issue, claiming thousands of lives each year,” the spokesperson said. “This report highlights the heightened risk in Hawaii, where such incidents are particularly prevalent. Even a brief moment of distraction — whether texting, checking notifications, or adjusting a music playlist — can lead to devastating consequences.”
Shelly Kunishige, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, told the Tribune-Herald that HDOT computes and categorizes distracted driving in a different manner than the NHTSA, in that the national figures combine distracted driving and inattention to driving into a single category, while HDOT separates distracted driving and inattention to driving into two distinct categories.
“Statistically, distracted driving is a contributing factor in nearly 5% of fatal crashes in Hawaii. This does differ from the category of inattention, which falls under the human factors category on crash reports,” said Kunishige, referring to HDOT’s methodology. “Inattention may include talking to people in your vehicle or having a mindset that is not focused on driving a multi-ton vehicle. Distracted driving is a separate category on crash reports that specifically refers to the physical act of driving while using a mobile device, fiddling with the radio, smoking, eating, etc.”
While the NTHSA figures are from 2018-2022, the HDOT figures provided are from 2020-2024, making an apples to apples comparison difficult.
That said, during the 2020-2024 time period, there were 657 drivers involved in fatal crashes statewide. Of those drivers, 28 fit the HDOT definition of distracted. When combining distracted driving with inattention to driving, the number jumps to 99 of those drivers. Using the combined numbers, that would give Hawaii an average of 1.38 fatal crashes due to distracted driving per 100,000 residents — almost certainly a number officials would hope to improve upon.
According to Kunishige, starting this year, NHTSA’s Fatal Analysis Reporting System — known as FARS — will separate distracted driving and inattention to driving in their reporting methodology.
“Without knowing how other states report distinguish between inattention and distraction, we cannot definitively say that Hawaii is the 6th worse for fatal crashes caused by distracted driving,” Kunishige said. “HDOT does believe distracted driving can’t be discounted as a contributing factor because drivers seldom admit to it, and evidence of distracted driving can be difficult to obtain.”
Torey Keltner, Hawaii Police Department’s Traffic Services program manager, said HPD “does follow the state on how things are reported,” which means that distracted driving and inattention to driving are separated in their reporting methodology.
Keltner did say, however, that distracted driving is a problem in Hawaii County.
“We do enforcement, specifically, about distracted driving, because it is a crime to use an electronic device when driving,” Keltner said. “When you’re driving around, you see people using their cellphones often. And it is kind of a hard thing to track, because when you have crashes, (drivers) may not tell the truth when they’re asked if that was involved in the crash. So, those numbers may be a little bit under-reported.
“But I think our officers do a good job of investigating that stuff.”
Keltner said that Big Island statistics between 2020 and 2024 indicate an increase in distracted driving as a factor in major crashes, but not necessarily fatal ones.
He said there was about a 30% increase in the amount of major crashes due to distracted driving from 2020 to 2024.
“It’s a significant thing that we need to get a hold of,” Keltner said. “Now, in 2020, there was COVID and things were kind of different. But we saw an uptick in 2022, it dropped down a little bit in 2023, and then, we see an increase in 2024.
“So it’s definitely a factor in crashes, and it poses a serious danger to people driving and walking along our public roadways.”
Keltner said people who make multiple bad decisions of getting behind the wheel impaired and then adding other distractions such as cellphones, fiddling with the radio or car stereo, and speeding multiply the chances of a collision.
“Not just that getting drunk or impaired and driving isn’t just a really bad idea, it’s those drunk guys who are doing crazy stuff inside the car — they’re driving too fast, using their phone — and then, we end up with these really bad crashes.”
Added Kunishige: “Our message to drivers is that anything that takes your attention away from the operation of your vehicle is dangerous, and people need to be focused on driving for their own safety and the safety of those around them.”
For more information on study, visit H&P Law (https://www.courtroomproven.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.