Recently, fatal car accidents have been on the rise, but these accidents are more common in some states than others. What staes have the worst drivers?
The worst drivers might not come from the state you would expect. Are you at greater risk when driving on a two-lane country road across the Midwest or while driving through the streets of a large city? You might think having more cars around you puts you at greater risk of being in a car accident, and you’d be right, but some states have some of the worst drivers while others fall short of being at the top of a bad list.
Here are the states with the worst drivers.
5. Kentucky
Kentucky finds its way to the fourth spot in terms of fatal car accidents involving distracted drivers. This state also has the eighth-highest number of fatal car accidents involving drowsy drivers. Finally, Kentucky has the ninth-highest number of fatal accidents involving drivers going the wrong way on a one-way street or driving on the wrong side of the road. These three factors put Kentucky in the fifth spot on this list, which is an awful place to be.
4. Oklahoma
Oklahoma has some of the worst drivers in the country, hitting the fourth spot on the list. Forbes Advisor tells us that drives in Oklahoma rank seventh in fatal accidents involving distracted driving. This state also reports the eighth-highest number of fatal car accidents involving a driver failing to obey traffic signs or officers. When it comes to drunk driving, Oklahoma ranks as the ninth worst for fatal crashes. Although covered with many wide open spaces, Oklahoma is fourth among the states with the worst drivers.
3. Kansas
The bronze medal for the worst drivers goes to Kansas. This state has the second-highest number of fatal accidents involving distracted driving and the third-highest number of drivers who disobey traffic signs, signals, or officers. Among drowsy driver fatalities, Kansas ranks fourth and fifth for drivers going the wrong way on a one-way street or driving on the wrong side of the road. If you’re driving across Oklahoma and Kansas, you need to watch other drivers and practice defensive driving.
2. Louisiana
Drivers in Louisiana have some bad driving habits that put this state in the top ten of some of the worst categories for worst drivers. Louisiana ranks third for fatal accidents involving distracted driving and eighth for those accidents involving drunk drivers. This state is also tenth on the list of drowsy driver accidents, which can be truly hazardous. Some might think Louisiana would rank higher in some categories due to the party nature of New Orleans, but it still falls short compared to one state that has the worst drivers.
1. Texas
The worst drivers in the United States live and drive in Texas. By the numbers, this state ranks second for fatal accidents involving drowsy drivers and those driving the wrong way on a one-way street or on the wrong side of the road. Texas has the third-highest number of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes and the ninth-highest number of car accidents involving distracted driving. If you’ve got to drive in Texas, you need to be extra careful and aware of other drivers on the road; this is the state with the worst drivers in the country.
What metrics were used?
Forbes Advisor used six metrics to help determine the worst drivers in the country. These figures use data from the NHTSA using a three-year average from 2018-2022 for five of the metrics. The metrics used are:
- Number of drunk drivers involved in fatal car accidents
- Number of fatal accidents involving distracted drivers
- Number of fatal car accidents involving a drowsy driver
- Number of fatal car accidents involving a driver going the wrong way
- Number of fatal accidents involving a driver who failed to obey traffic signs, signals, or officers
- Number of drivers who looked at a phone per mile
The first five metrics each accounted for 18% of the final score, leaving 10% for the last item. The data collected for drivers looking at their phones came from Arity, which is a mobility data and analytics company.
What does this list tell us?
The list of the top five states with the worst drivers only tells us that we should be a little more aware and careful while driving across these states. Regardless of where you drive, it’s important to always be on the lookout for people driving drunk, distracted, drowsy, going the wrong way, or disobeying traffic signals.
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