Top 10 States With the Worst Drivers
istock.com/RobertCrum
Connecting state and local government leaders
An analysis shows that the worst drivers are mainly in the middle of the country, and that drivers in those states haven't lowered their accident rates during the past few years.
Poor driving habits include failing to yield to other vehicles, ignoring road signs and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, among other things. But a number of states have worse drivers than others.
To see which states have the worst drivers in terms of accidents and other incidents, Insurify reviewed its database of more than 4 million auto insurance applications. Based on the data, the insurance comparison company ranked states by percentage of accidents and other incidents.
Its analysis shows that the top 10 states for bad drivers are: Ohio, 28.18%; Iowa, 26.74%; Nebraska, 26.72%; Virginia, 26.52%; Wisconsin, 26.30%; Wyoming, 26.45%; South Carolina, 26.14%; Colorado, 25.77%; Idaho, 25.13%; and Utah, 24.75%.The national average was 21.34%.
Isurify’s data analysis uncovered several things:
Driving trends are consistent. Nine of the 10 states in the worst-driver 2021 rankings also made Insurify’s list of top 10 states with the worst drivers in 2019. The only significant change is that North Dakota, which ranked No. 1 in 2019, is not in the top 10 list this year.
Traffic citations and fatalities do not correlate. Of the top 10 states, only two also are in the top 10 for the highest traffic deaths, which suggests higher accident rates do not necessarily cause more fatalities, the company said. However, Insurify noted that its data does not include injuries caused by accidents, which can be severe.
Bad drivers also can cause great harm to pedestrians. The fatality rate for people struck by cars spiked by 21% in 2020, the largest increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began tracking the statistic in 1975, according to a recent data analysis by the Governors Highway Safety Association.
In 2019, 1.9 pedestrians were killed for every billion vehicle-miles traveled; in 2020, that number rose to 2.3—“the largest year-over-year increase ever recorded,” the report says. The increase occurred even as car usage dropped due to the pandemic, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration.
For more information about the states with the worst drivers click here.
Jean Dimeo is the managing editor of Route Fifty.
NEXT STORY: In One City, Residents Found a New Use For Scooters: Penis Graffiti