According to a recent analysis, it seems that drivers in the Kansas City area, whether they live on the Missouri or Kansas side of the city, have some trouble staying off of their cell phones while driving.
The study analyzed the number of deaths, per 10 billion miles driven, that could be attributed to a motorist either texting and driving or otherwise being distracted by his or her cell phone. The study broke these results down state-by-state.
Although certainly not the worst states, neither Kansas nor Missouri fared particularly well in this analysis. Kansas had the 17th highest fatality rate, at 1.66, while Missouri ranked 20th with a rate of 1.44.
Missouri is actually among the more lenient states when it comes to distracted driving. The survey noted that, as of recently, Missouri put no restrictions on the use of cellular phones per se, even if the driver holds the phone in his or her hand. The state does restrict texting and driving to some degree.
Kansas, on the other hand, has slightly tighter laws. While the state also does not prohibit handheld cellular phones, it does completely prohibit texting and driving behavior and it also forbids young and other inexperienced drivers from using cellular phones at all while they are driving.
Even if the laws technically allow it, most people in the Kansas City area know, or should know, that cellular phones and driving rarely make for a safe combination. If a person causes an auto accident because he or she was paying attention to his or her phone rather than the road, that person’s victim may be eligible to receive compensation.
