LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Arkansas is third runner-up for most traffic fatalities, the two other states beating us are Oregon and Nevada, both with higher populations compared to the Natural State. Traffic fatalities are up 35 percent from 2014 to 2015 when comparing the first four months of both years according to the Arkansas Motor Vehicle Department.

“Most people in the State of Arkansas are taught by their parents how to drive, we’ve seen as I mentioned an increase of people being aware, over 50 percent of the people who come to us are really from outside the state or didn’t know we existed,” said Brock Thompson, Thompson Driving School owner.

A lack of training and distracted, just a couple of reasons why Arkansas is now top three in the nation for most traffic fatalities according to Thompson.

“Five years ago, traffic wasn’t what it was now, five years ago technology wasn’t what it is now….you’re seeing a huge increase in not only teenagers, but also adults being distracted with cellphone technology, with interfaces of automobiles now they’re trying to shift some of the responsibility from the driver to the cars,” added Thompson.

Having the education Thompson adds could be the difference between life and death.

“If you know everything about driving, and you know the consequences to those things as well as the laws, it will help you stay out of a crash, we don’t believe that anybody involved in a crash if free from fault,” said Thompson.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, inexperienced drivers younger than 20 are most at risk of being involved in a fatal crash caused by distracted driving.

See post on ABC Channel 7 News.