Does distracted driving increase insurance?

What is distracted driving?

Distracted driving is any activity that diverts a driver's attention from the road. Manual distractions, such as using your phone or eating, visual distractions, such as looking at your navigation system, and cognitive distractions, such as conversation, are all forms of distracted driving.

Perhaps the most common form of distracted driving is texting while behind the wheel. Texting while driving is illegal in most states, with Montana being the only state with no law. In many states, handheld cellphone usage is a primary offense, meaning a police officer can pull you over without another reason to do so.

“Distracted driving continues to be a major problem on U.S. roads. While most people probably equate distracted driving with phone use, distracted driving can take on a number of forms,” says Joseph Young, director of media relations for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit educational organization. “Everything from eating and drinking to grooming and fiddling with the radio can be distracting and increase crash risk.”

Although distracted driving can lead to traffic tickets and increased insurance costs, drivers who aren’t paying attention can also cause accidents and injuries. For this reason, many states consider distracted driving a serious offense.

Does a distracted driving ticket affect insurance?

Yes, distracted driving can result in higher car insurance rates; rates increase by $169 on average after a ticket. Increases range from $109 a year in Maine to $259 a year in Florida based on Insurance.com rate data.

The table below compares average car insurance rates before and after receiving a distracted driving ticket in each state.

State	Annual premium, clean record	Annual premium, distracted driving ticket
Alabama	$1,463	$1,610
Alaska	$1,577	$1,735
Arizona	$1,628	$1,791
Arkansas	$1,742	$1,916
California	$1,945	$2,140
Colorado	$1,992	$2,191
Connecticut	$1,991	$2,190
Delaware	$2,078	$2,286
District of Columbia	$1,913	$2,104
Florida	$2,587	$2,846
Georgia	$1,827	$2,010
Hawaii	$1,407	$1,548
Idaho	$1,299	$1,429
Illinois	$1,477	$1,625
Indiana	$1,359	$1,495
Iowa	$1,217	$1,339
Kansas	$1,663	$1,829
Kentucky	$1,943	$2,137
Louisiana	$2,546	$2,801
Maine	$1,086	$1,195
Maryland	$1,782	$1,960
Massachusetts	$1,566	$1,723
Michigan	$2,495	$2,745
Minnesota	$1,549	$1,704
Mississippi	$1,732	$1,905
Missouri	$1,687	$1,856
Montana	$1,729	$1,902
Nebraska	$1,485	$1,634
Nevada	$2,137	$2,351
New Hampshire	$1,254	$1,379
New Jersey	$1,923	$2,115
New Mexico	$1,678	$1,846
New York	$2,112	$2,323
North Carolina	$1,329	$1,462
North Dakota	$1,393	$1,532
Ohio	$1,254	$1,379
Oklahoma	$1,875	$2,063
Oregon	$1,625	$1,788
Pennsylvania	$1,738	$1,912
Rhode Island	$2,108	$2,319
South Carolina	$1,663	$1,829
South Dakota	$1,485	$1,634
Tennessee	$1,549	$1,704
Texas	$1,868	$2,055
Utah	$1,625	$1,788
Vermont	$1,217	$1,339
Virginia	$1,329	$1,462
Washington	$1,625	$1,788
West Virginia	$1,663	$1,829
Wisconsin	$1,254	$1,379
Wyoming	$1,485	$1,634

How long does distracted driving affect insurance?

Distracted driving is a moving violation and can affect insurance rates for three to five years in most states. If your distracted driving causes an accident, it can affect your insurance rates for a longer period of time.

You may be able to prevent a distracted driving ticket from affecting your insurance rates by completing a traffic school course; check with your state's DMV and your insurance company.

How to lower your insurance rates after a distracted driving ticket

After a distracted driving ticket, you can lower your insurance rates by shopping around and comparing quotes from multiple carriers, increasing your deductibleThe deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket for a covered loss when you file a claim. and asking about discounts, including for taking a defensive driving course. Even if the course doesn't get the ticket removed, many insurance companies will give you a discount.

Compare quotes from multiple carriers. Every insurance company weighs a ticket differently, resulting in very different rates.
Raise your deductible. A higher deductible means lower premiums, as long as you can afford to pay it if you need to.
Ask about discounts. You may qualify for discounts you don't know about, reducing your rates, like good student or paperless billing.
Take a defensive driving course. In some states, you may be able to get the ticket off your record by taking a course, but if not, you could still get an insurance discount.

What are the three main categories of distracted driving?

Distracted driving consists of three categories: manual (using your hands), visual (taking your eyes off the road) and cognitive (distracting your mental focus). Distractions can be a combination of any of these three, such as a handheld phone conversation. Texting is an example of the most dangerous distraction, because it involves all three.

Category	What it means	Example
Manual	Using your hands for something other than driving	Texting, eating, adjusting the climate control
Visual	Taking your eyes off the road	Reading a text, checking navigation, turning to look at someone in the backseat
Cognitive	Losing mental focus on driving	Conversation, daydreaming
Combination	Two or more types of distraction at the same time	Looking back at a child while handing them a snack (manual, visual) Texting (manual, visual, cognitive)

“Research has found that texting can increase crash risk by 2 to 6 times compared with when drivers aren't distracted. More broadly, anything that takes your eyes off the road increases crash risk, and that risk goes up the longer you're looking away,” Young says.

How to prevent distracted driving

The most effective ways to prevent distracted driving are to eliminate phone access and use vehicle safety technology before driving.

Put your phone in do-not-disturb mode while driving
Use an app that automatically silences text and call notifications when driving
Use hands-free technology when possible so that you don’t have to take your hands off the wheel
Pull over to make calls and read or send texts
Model good driving behaviors for children and other passengers in your vehicle.

Driver monitoring systems, present in some new vehicles, which sense movements in the drivers head and gaze, and crash avoidance technology, like automatic emergency braking, can reduce the risks of distracted driving.

“Automatic emergency braking, which is now a standard feature on new vehicles, cuts the rate of rear-end crashes by about 50 percent. This technology can kick in if a driver fails to react to a stopped vehicle, and many systems also recognize and stop for pedestrians,” Young says.

Distracted driving examples

Distracted driving includes many everyday behaviors that drivers do not always recognize as dangerous:

Your child is demanding a snack, so you reach into your bag, dig around to find one, open the package, and hand it to them in the back seat.
You’re late for work, so you apply makeup in the car while driving.
You go through the drive-through and start eating before you get home.
Your dog is roaming free in the car and even climbs onto your lap while you are driving.

Distracted driving statistics

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,208 people were killed in 2024 as a result of distracted driving.

“Despite the apparent prevalence of distracted driving (I think we've all seen people staring at their phones while cruising down the road!), it can be challenging to figure out how big of a problem it is. This is partly because distraction takes on many forms, but also because distraction isn't always evident after a crash, so the issue tends to be undercounted,” says Young.

It’s not always possible to know if a driver was distracted, especially cognitively, while driving.

According to Young, “...studies have suggested that distraction likely plays a role in more than a quarter of all crash fatalities, putting it on par with other major traffic safety issues like impaired driving and speeding.”

FAQ: Distracted driving

Which age group has the highest number of accidents attributed to distracted driving?

Drivers aged 15-20 have the highest number of fatal distracted driving accidents, according to the NHTSA. Drivers aged 16-24 also have the highest reported use of handheld cellphones, a significant factor in distracted driving, according to the National Safety Council.

How much is a distracted driving ticket?

A distracted driving ticket costs between $50 and $400 for a first offense, depending on the state. Nevada is the lowest at $50, and New Jersey is the highest at $400.

What are the risks of distracted driving?

The risks of distracted driving include serious and sometimes fatal accidents (3,208 fatalities in 2024), fines of between $50 and $400, insurance rate increases averaging $169 a year and legal costs if you cause a crash and are sued.

Sources:

NSTSA. “Distracted Driving Dangers and Statistics | NHTSA.” Accessed April 2026

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