Nowadays, many individuals in the US are taking road trips with their family members. This is because due to COVID-19, air travel is certainly not safe and advisable. However, a road trip with your family is one of the safest ways to travel these days. If you’re planning such a road trip, then you need to consider a few things, such as the roads that you will be taking and the driving stats around those areas. This will help you protect yourself and your family from any unfortunate accidents.
Did you know that there are more than 227.5 million licensed drivers in the United States of America? This statistic might make you feel at ease while driving around in the country. However, you must know that the fact that so many individuals are licensed to drive does not mean that all the US states have good driving conditions.
In fact, the driving conditions of American states are far from equal. Some states experience more fatal road accidents and traffic jams than other states. Similarly, many states have exceptionally rash drivers, a high number of DUIs, and driving citations. On the other hand, there are some states where driving is considered to be a rather safe activity with the least number of reported road accidents.
So, if you want to step out of your house and go on a road trip during these trying times, then it will be best to do some research before choosing your destination. You need to know which states are the safest to drives in and which are the worst. This information will help you prepare for your road trip accordingly.
So, without further ado, let’s explore which states are the best and worst for drivers in the United States today!
States with the Best and Worst Driving
According to Quotewizard’s Best and Worst Drivers by State report, West Virginia was seen to have the best drivers out of all the US states, while Wyoming had the worst drivers. Other states whose drivers were deemed the best include New Mexico, Michigan, Missouri,and Texas. On the other hand, after Wyoming, the states that were deemed to have the worst drivers include South Dakota, Colorado, New Jersey, and Virginia.
This report analyzed over 2 million insurance quotes gathered from QuoteWizard drivers to gauge which state had the worst and best drivers. To get the most accurate rankings, QuoteWizard built a complex scoring system based on these four driving incident factors:
- Accidents
- DUIs
- Speeding Tickets
- Citations
Naturally, the states that were deemed to have the worst drivers reported the highest rates of each of these incidents. Meanwhile, the states that had the lowest rates of each of these factors were deemed to have the best drivers. This comprehensive study also highlighted which states ranked the worst for all of these incident factors.
Let’s take a look at the states with the worst drivers based on these four incident factors:
States That Are Most Prone to Road Accidents
Here’s a list of states that are most prone to road accidents:
- Rhode Island
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- South Carolina
- Utah
States with the Most Drunk-Driving Incidents
Here is a list of states that witness the highest rate of drunk-driving:
- Wyoming
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Nebraska
- Alaska
States with the Most Speeding Accidents
Here is a list of states that witness the most speeding incidents:
- California
- New York
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- North Dakota
States with the Worst Driving Citations
Here is a list of states with the worst driving citations:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Wyoming
- Kansas
- South Carolina
Lack of Road Safety
So, why do these states have the worst drivers in the whole country? It’s often due to lax driving tests and a sheer lack of training that results in these accidents. These are also the reasons why thousands of people die in road accidents in the US yearly. The vast majority of road accidents are often recorded in urban areas, but these accidents are not usually fatal due to the close proximity of hospitals with high-tech medical equipment. The ones that occur in rural areas are far more likely to be fatal due to the time it takes to transport the injured to a hospital.
Stringent action needs to be taken against careless drivers to ensure that they don’t drive rashly in the future. The states with the worst drivers need to take a look at these revealing statistics and figure out what they can do to improve their driving records.
What Can You Do to Avoid Road Accidents?
After doing your research, you must take a look at your own driving skills and polish them so that you don’t get into an accident. Here are some things that you can do to prevent an accident:
- Always wear a seat belt
- Don’t ever drive while drunk
- Limit your night driving
- Keep the speed slow for first-time drivers
- Practice your driving skills before heading out on major highways
- Always keep your eyes on the road
- Always drive responsibly and don’t try to show off to your friends
- Try to avoid driving in poor weather conditions
- Don’t use your phone while driving
The bottom line is that you must do everything in your power to prevent road accidents. This includes driving responsibly and following the state and local laws to the T. When driving in a new state, it always helps to brush up on the driving conditions there so that you are prepared to face anything while on the road.
