Key Takeaways
- New Jersey ranks third in the nation for pedestrian fatalities caused by distracted drivers at 0.44 per 100,000 residents, a rate 22× higher than the safest state, Rhode Island (0.02).
- New Jersey’s deadliest year was 2024, when 55 pedestrians were killed by distracted drivers, a 52.8% increase from the prior year’s 36 and the highest single-year count in the five-year study period.
- Between 2020 and 2024, 206 pedestrians were killed by distracted drivers in New Jersey, an average of more than 41 deaths per year in a state with approximately 9.3 million residents.
New Jersey has the third-highest distracted-driving pedestrian fatality rate in the United States, according to a new state-by-state analysis. At a rate of 0.44 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents, New Jersey is one of the top three most dangerous states, trailing only New Mexico (1.00) and Louisiana (0.45) and recording a rate 22 times higher than the nation’s safest state, Rhode Island (0.02).
An analysis by Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers examined pedestrian fatality data involving distracted drivers from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for 2020 through 2024. For each state, the analysis calculated the average annual number of pedestrians killed by distracted drivers and expressed that figure as a rate per 100,000 residents. States were ranked from 1 (highest rate) to 50 (lowest) to create the States Where Distracted Drivers Kill the Most Pedestrians index.
Top 10: States Where Distracted Drivers Kill the Most Pedestrians
States With the Highest Distracted-Driving Pedestrian Fatality Rates
| Rank | State | Population (2020-2024) | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Avg. Annual Fatalities | Fatalities per 100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | 2,118,467 | 16 | 31 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 21.2 | 1.00 |
| 2 | Louisiana | 4,607,560 | 18 | 26 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 20.8 | 0.45 |
| 3 | New Jersey | 9,318,583 | 23 | 43 | 49 | 36 | 55 | 41.2 | 0.44 |
| 4 | Hawaii | 1,442,843 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 6.2 | 0.43 |
| 5 | Kentucky | 4,528,877 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 15.4 | 0.34 |
| 6 | Montana | 1,116,879 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3.2 | 0.29 |
| 7 | Kansas | 2,944,202 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 8 | 8.4 | 0.29 |
| 8 | Washington | 7,804,021 | 16 | 22 | 15 | 24 | 32 | 21.8 | 0.28 |
| 9 | Illinois | 12,660,741 | 48 | 57 | 21 | 28 | 14 | 33.6 | 0.27 |
| 10 | Texas | 30,117,201 | 65 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 73 | 72.2 | 0.24 |
New Mexico has the highest pedestrian fatality rate caused by distracted drivers in the nation, at 1.00 deaths per 100,000 residents. Louisiana (0.45) and New Jersey (0.44) follow, while Hawaii, Kentucky, Montana, Kansas, Washington, Illinois, and Texas round out the top 10. New Jersey’s rate of 0.44 per 100,000 places it 3rd overall. Although Texas records the highest average annual number of pedestrian deaths at 72.2, its per-capita rate is just 0.24 per 100,000, illustrating how population size can mask the severity of the problem in smaller states.
Commenting on the study, Tyler Wilk, Founding Attorney at Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, stated:
“New Jersey’s ranking of 3rd in this study should be a wake-up call for every resident, policymaker, and law enforcement official in the state. A pedestrian fatality rate from distracted driving that is 22 times higher than Rhode Island’s points to significant gaps in enforcement, infrastructure, and public awareness. The data from 2024, when fatalities hit their peak, and the persistently elevated numbers throughout the study period show that this is not a one-year anomaly, it is an ongoing crisis. Victims of distracted driving and their families may have legal options to hold negligent drivers accountable.”
New Jersey’s Distracted-Driving Pedestrian Fatalities (2020-2024)
Year-by-Year Breakdown: Pedestrians Killed by Distracted Drivers in New Jersey
| Year | Pedestrian Fatalities | Year-over-Year Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 23 | N/A |
| 2021 | 43 | +87.0% |
| 2022 | 49 | +14.0% |
| 2023 | 36 | –26.5% |
| 2024 | 55 | +52.8% |
New Jersey recorded 23 pedestrian deaths caused by distracted driving in 2020. Fatalities rose 87.0% to 43 in 2021. The state’s deadliest year was 2024, with 55 fatalities. Nationwide, pedestrian deaths from distracted driving peaked at 596 in 2021 before easing and rising again to 580 in 2024.
Methodology
The study analyzed pedestrian fatality data involving distracted drivers as reported through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for 2020 through 2024. For each state, researchers calculated the average annual number of pedestrians killed in crashes involving a distracted driver and divided that figure by the state’s population (2020-2024) to produce a rate per 100,000 residents. States were ranked from 1 (highest rate) to 50 (lowest). FARS data relies on police-reported crash records and follows NHTSA’s reporting standards. Differences across states may reflect variations in pedestrian traffic volume, urbanization, road design, enforcement practices, distracted driving laws, and reporting standards in addition to actual crash patterns.
Data Sources
U.S. Department of Transportation, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Query System:
Research Dataset: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KRM-HabT166TjRIkpPS2G0F_aC5cxh-m76oW8atGnSE/edit?gid=0#gid=0
Study By:
About Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers
Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers is a Pennsylvania-based firm that represents victims of negligence in cases involving vehicle collisions, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, premises liability, and wrongful death.