FLT Law recently published brand-new data findings about the Worst Drivers by Generation.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever watched a terrible driver speed past, saw an out-of-state license plate, and thought, “Of course they’re from that state.”
In 2023,
That’s not likely to change anytime soon, either. A recent study by the University of Chicago found that 1 in 4 Chicagoans will choose road trips over flying once the pandemic ends.
With so many Americans on the road, it made our group of expert truck and auto accident lawyers ask: Which states are home to the worst drivers in America?
To find out, we considered the following:
- DUI arrests per capita
- Accident fatalities per capita
- How many drivers are uninsured
- Number of Google searches related to terms like “how to get out of a ticket” and “car accident lawyer”
Here’s what we found.
The Worst Drivers by State
The worst drivers in the US
When looking at the data, a few pieces of information stand out about the worst drivers: they rank high for the total number of DUI arrests and the percentage of uninsured drivers. You may also notice that the top 5 worst drivers by state rank in the top half of the country for auto accident fatalities.
Based on the data, Mississippi is home to the worst drivers in America, ranking number 1 for total auto accident fatalities (23 per capita), uninsured drivers (29% of drivers do not have insurance, and top 5 for DUI arrests.
Missouri has the second worst drivers ranking in the top 20 for all four categories, with Nevada not far behind, ranking number 1 in total searches for auto accident related keywords (6758 per capita) in the United States.
With a staggering 679 DUI arrests per capita, South Dakota has the most arrests per capita in the United States (5th overall). They also have the second-highest percentage of uninsured drivers on the road.
The state of Colorado is ranked 4th for worst drivers in the country, with high totals in all four major categories.
The best drivers in the US
When looking at the best drivers in America, much of the data pushes back on the idea that heavily populated areas usually contain terrible drivers. The top 10 feature some of the largest populations across the United States.
This year, the best drivers in the United States live in Massachusetts. They have the lowest number of fatalities per capita (6.2 per 100,000) and second highest number of insured drivers on the road (96%). They also have some of the fewest DUI arrests in the United States,
Maryland is the second safest state, with few fatalities and a high number of insured drivers.
The most surprising of the top 5 best drivers in the country belongs to number 5, New Jersey. They have the highest number of insured drivers on the road, the second fewest auto accident fatalities, and a low volume of DUI arrests. Interestingly enough, they do have the 7th highest total number of auto accident related searches per capita in the country.
Connecticut and Hawaii round out the top five, with both ranking in the bottom half for auto accident fatalities and uninsured drivers.
Regional trends
States in the Southeast, such as Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, consistently rank poorly due to high percentages of uninsured drivers.
- South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana have some of the highest DUI arrests per capita.
- Urbanized states in the Northeast, such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut, rank well due to low fatalities and better insurance coverage.
- In the South-Central Region, states like Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma rank poorly in fatalities per 100,000 residents.
- Insurance Mandates in the Northeast help states like New York and Massachusetts benefit from strict insurance requirements, leading to some of the lowest uninsured driver percentages in the country.
- The Plains states, including South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, exhibit high DUI rates.
- Coastal states, such as California and New York, fare better overall due to stronger public transportation networks, which reduce personal vehicle reliance and associated risks.
- Fatality rates are markedly higher in Southern states like Mississippi and Alabama.
The Fred, Levinson & Turner team are Chicago car accident lawyers and injury attorneys you can trust. If you need help with your car accident case, contact us today.
Methodology:
- Total accident fatalities per 100,000: Data gathered from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2019 Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the most recent data available.
- DUI arrests per 100,000: Data gathered from the FBI’s Crime in the United States 2019 database, the most recent data available.
- Percentage of uninsured drivers: Data gathered from the Insurance Information Institute’s 2015 report on uninsured motorists, the most recent data available.
- Keyword research: Data gathered from a Google search trends analysis of over 500 terms related to “get out of a ticket,” “car accident lawyer,” and “DUI lawyer.”
- Population of citizens above driving age in every state: Data gathered from the U.S. Census Bureau.
To rank all 50 states from worst to best drivers, we found each state’s average ranking across all four metrics to create a final score from 0-100. The state with the highest average ranking received a score of 100, while the state with the lowest average ranking received a score of 0.
Fair use: Feel free to use this data and research with proper attribution linking to this study. When you do, please give credit and link to https://www.fltlaw.com/. For any questions, please contact kylie@theloopcommunications.net.
