Driving on U.S. public roads is more dangerous today than ever, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In the U.S. in 2015, 35,092 people died in crashes that involved 48,923 vehicles, costing about $242 billion. This was a 7.2% increase from the previous year and the highest number of traffic deaths in America since 2008.
Results from the nationwide CarInsuranceComparison.com annual study identify the worst drivers by state.
CarInsuranceComparison.com conducted research on all 50 states and Washington D.C., and formulated their list based on date from the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on five main categories:
- Fatality Rate – The total number of traffic deaths for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
- Failure to Obey – The number of road fatalities involving failure to use safety restraints and individuals ignoring traffic safety devices and driving illegally with an invalid license.
- Drunk Driving – The number of fatal crashes involving a driver impaired by alcohol.
- Speeding – The number of driving deaths involving a driver who was speeding.
- Careless Driving – The number of pedestrians and pedal cyclists (usually bicyclists) killed by motorists for every 100 thousand residents.
The rankings for the above five categories were totaled for 51 final scores. The 10 lowest scores (highest cumulative rankings) belonged to the 10 areas with the worst drivers in our nation; the highest rankings equal the highest number of traffic deaths.
Learn about your state's statistics and the complete study findings on their website.
10. North Dakota
Best Ranking: Careless Driving – 43rd.
Worst Ranking: Drunk Driving – 2nd.
9. Delaware
Best Ranking: Drunk Driving – 32nd.
Worst Ranking: Careless Driving – 1st.
8. North Carolina
Best Ranking: Drunk Driving – 26th.
Worst Ranking: Speeding – 7th.
7. New Mexico
Best Ranking: Fatality Rate – 28th.
Worst Ranking: Careless Driving – 3rd.
6. South Carolina
Best Ranking: Drunk Driving – 29th
Worst Ranking: Fatality Rate – 1st.
5. Nevada
Best Ranking: (Tie) Fatality Rate & Drunk Driving – 19th.
Worst Ranking: Failure to Obey – 5th.
4. Texas
Best Ranking: Speeding – 20th.
Worst Ranking: Drunk Driving – 5th.
3. Louisiana
Best Ranking: Speeding – 38th.
Worst Ranking: Failure to Obey – 2nd.
2. Arizona
Best Ranking: (Tie) Drunk Driving & Speeding – 15th
Worst Ranking: Careless Driving – 6th
1. Montana
Best Ranking: Careless Driving – 29th.
Worst Ranking: Failure to Obey – 1st.
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Danielle Ling
Danielle Ling is an experienced video journalist and business reporter. As associate editor, Danielle manages all multimedia and reports on industry news and risk-related coverage, managing all weather-related content. A University of Maryland and Philip Merrill College of Journalism alum, Danielle previously served as a video journalist for Verizon FiOS 1 News NJ, Push Pause. Connect with Danielle on LinkedIn or email her at [email protected].
