In brief: Have you ever had to replace a phone because you accidentally broke it? If so, you're in the majority. Three-quarters of Americans have suffered this indignity, and a new survey shows the states where it happens most often. The report also reveals some other interesting facts, such how the breakages occurred and the most common laptop mishaps.

The Secure Data Recovery service surveyed 2,200 Americans across several states about how often and in what manner they break their devices.

Breaking a phone and having to replace it is something 76% of participants admitted to---this writer experienced such a nightmare with a new Galaxy S7 Edge in 2016. If destroying a handset wasn't bad enough, 31% of those surveyed said they also completely lost the data it contained.

Looking at individual states, Texas (95%), Missouri (88%), and Oklahoma (88%) were the locations with the highest number of phone breakers.

Not everyone replaces a phone (or one of its components) after a breakage. The sight of people using handsets with broken screens is a pretty common one, with almost a fifth of participants (18%) currently using a phone with a cracked display---1 in 4 of these are members of Gen Z. Expect to see plenty of examples of this in Mississippi (29%), Texas (29%), Louisiana (28%), South Carolina (28%), and California (27%).

Amazingly, dropping a phone is a weekly occurrence (at least) for almost half (44%) of the participants. Mobile owners in Utah are the clumsiest in this regard.

Some other stats include 1 in 10 people not using a phone case. That's a low number, but 45% say they've broken a mobile while it was in a case. Other common mishaps include accidentally throwing a phone (46%), spilling a drink on it (43%), and, a stat that illustrates the popularity of using a phone in the bathroom, dropping it down the toilet (23%).

It's a similar story when it comes to laptops, with drops, spilled food and drinks, and cracked screens common reported problems. Americans have spent an average of $534 on laptop repairs in their lifetimes, but only 37% pay for damages themselves rather than relying on warranties.

Thanks, Secure Data