If you’re hitting the road this summer, you might want to be extra cautious in certain cities. A new report by Life360—based on more than 60 billion data points and a nationwide survey of 1,000 drivers—reveals the cities where distracted driving isn’t just common, it’s out of control.
Life360 figured out where drivers are most distracted by using internal driving data around four key indicators of distracted driving: crashes, speeding, hard braking and rapid acceleration. The worst offenders? Riverside, San Diego, Phoenix, Anaheim and Los Angeles are the cities with the most distracted drivers. Drivers in the four California cities are all notorious for rapid acceleration, hard braking and speeding, while Phoenix drivers are prone to hard braking and rapid acceleration.
Overall, California leads the nation in aggressive driving, especially rapid acceleration. Florida has the highest crash rate nationwide, as Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale make up five of the top eight crash cities in the U.S. North Carolina is also in the danger zone, ranking number one for hard braking and number two for crashes.
All age groups are guilty of distracted driving, but the majority of distracted drivers seem to be Gen Z (ages 15–28). Gen Z drivers speed 84% more often than Baby Boomers, and more than half admit to intentional distracted driving: 42% say they watch online videos and 37% confess to scrolling, all while behind the wheel.
Distractions are not limited to screen time: 27% of survey respondents say they’ve changed clothes, done makeup, shaved or even painted their nails mid-drive. Nearly three-quarters of respondents say they've eaten foods requiring attention, like barbecue ribs or hot soup, while driving. Astonishingly, the same number of respondents admit to filming videos or creating content for social media while behind the wheel.
Distractions are everywhere, but some drivers are more easily distracted (or willing to be distracted) than others, so be aware on the road—especially in these distracted driver hotspots.