Worst Counties For Distracted Driving In Middle Tennessee

Distracted driving crashes in Tennessee went up 129% from 2008 to 2017. A new hands-free law went into affect July 1st, 2019 in Tennessee, the increase in distracted driving crashes is the major "driving" force behind the law. (see what I did there).

In honor of the new law, here are the top 5 worst counties in Tennessee for distracted driving according to a study by Lending Tree subsidiary, valuepenguin.com.

1. Shelby County

  • 7.83 Distracted Driving Crashes Per 1,000 Residents

Distracted driving is bad in the Memphis area...really bad. It's gotten so bad that THP has launched Operation Incognito to catch drivers with their head buried in their phone before they can cause a wreck.

2. Washington County

  • 7.19 Distracted Driving Crashes Per 1,000 Residents

Not to be outdone by west Tennessee, east Tennessee shows up big. You might think East Tennessee University students are responsible for all these crashes, but other counties with big schools are low on the list.

3. Williamson County

  • 6.19 Distracted Driving Crashes Per 1,000 Residents

Our home county, and representing Middle Tennessee, Williamson comes in 3rd in the state. Apparently, one of the top school districts in the nation doesn't produce very good drivers.

4. Montgomery County

  • 6.17 Distracted Driving Crashes Per 1,000 Residents

Montgomery is another county where local law enforcement are trying a shock-and-awe crack down on the rising incidents of distracted driving.

5. Rutherford County

  • 5.56 Distracted Driving Crashes Per 1,000 Residents

Also coming in the top 5 for Middle Tennessee, Rutherford county has a problem with drivers who can't decide whether they want to avoid running over their fellow Tennesseans or add the perfect emoji before they send out a text.

Our attachment to cell phones has made life on the road more unsafe. How did we ever manage when the only way to talk to each other was on a phone attached to the wall or in a booth, or with a letter?

 
 

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Samantha Byers