The Most Dangerous States for Driving (2021)

Chase Gardner
Written byChase Gardner
Headshot of Chase Gardner
Chase GardnerData Insights Manager
  • Data expert on auto trends and driver behavior

  • University of Chicago graduate with statistics degree

Chase spearheads analytics for Insurify’s data insights team. With his deep expertise in insurance data, Chase is often interviewed on industry trends.

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Tanveen Vohra
Edited byTanveen Vohra
Tanveen Vohra
Tanveen VohraManager of Content and Communications
  • Property and casualty insurance specialist

  • 4+ years creating insurance content

Tanveen manages Insurify's data insights, annual home and auto insurance reports, and media communications. She’s regularly featured in media interviews on insurance topics.

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Headshot of Konstantin Halachev, VP of Engineering at Insurify
Konstantin HalachevVP of Engineering & Data Science
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

Published March 10, 2022 at 11:00 AM PST | Reading time: 4 minutes

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but also one of the most hazardous to be out on the roads. In 2021, these ten states are the most dangerous for drivers this holiday season.

As fall turns to winter, there’s more than just cold weather and holiday cheer on the horizon. As millions of Americans plan to make the trek to be with family and friends for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other celebrations — often racking up many miles along the way — the roads are bound to be even busier than normal. Unfortunately, the seasonal spike of drivers logging long hours on the road, plus the “spirited” nature of many holiday gatherings, leads to increased dangerous driving incidents like collisions, speeding, and intoxicated driving.

According to the National Safety Council, holiday driving has the highest fatality rate of any major form of transportation based on fatalities per passenger mile. The combination of winter weather conditions, higher overall traffic, and the greater likelihood of alcohol impairment and other driving distractions spells trouble on the roads during the holiday season. To help drivers prepare to hit the road this year, the research team at Insurify crunched the numbers to determine the most dangerous states for driving in 2021.

Methodology

The researchers at Insurify, an auto insurance comparison site, referred to their database of over 4 million car insurance applications to determine the most dangerous states for driving in 2021. When applying for car insurance, users disclose their state of residence and any prior moving violations on their driving record within the past seven years. Across all 50 states, Insurify’s research team calculated the proportion of drivers with one or more of the following violations: speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, and DUIs. The ten states with the greatest shares of drivers with these violations on record were selected as the most dangerous states to drive in.

The findings in this article represent statistical trends found in Insurify’s database of over 4 million car insurance applications. The findings of this study are not meant to imply the direction nor necessarily the existence of a causal relationship. Rather, this is a presentation of statistical correlations of public interest.

Most Dangerous States for Driving (2021)

1. Ohio - Driving infraction rate: 29.66%

2. Iowa - Driving infraction rate: 27.95%

3. Nebraska - Driving infraction rate: 27.83%

4. Wisconsin - Driving infraction rate: 27.53%

5. Virginia - Driving infraction rate: 26.68%

6. South Carolina - Driving infraction rate: 26.33%

7. Maryland - Driving infraction rate: 25.63%

8. Alaska - Driving infraction rate: 25.60%

9. Colorado - Driving infraction rate: 25.35%

10. Wyoming - Driving infraction rate: 25.34%

10 States with the Most Dangerous Drivers, 2021

10. Wyoming

  • Drivers with at least one dangerous infraction on record: 25.34%

  • Drivers with a speeding ticket: 12.36%

  • Drivers with an at-fault accident: 10.03%

  • Drivers with a DUI violation: 4.18%

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9. Colorado

  • Drivers with at least one dangerous infraction on record: 25.35%

  • Drivers with a speeding ticket: 12.99%

  • Drivers with an at-fault accident: 10.60%

  • Drivers with a DUI violation: 2.62%

8. Alaska

  • Drivers with at least one dangerous infraction on record: 25.60%

  • Drivers with a speeding ticket: 12.64%

  • Drivers with an at-fault accident: 9.67%

  • Drivers with a DUI violation: 2.75%

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7. Maryland

  • Drivers with at least one dangerous infraction on record: 25.63%

  • Drivers with a speeding ticket: 10.49%

  • Drivers with an at-fault accident: 12.97%

  • Drivers with a DUI violation: 1.40%

6. South Carolina

  • Drivers with at least one dangerous infraction on record: 26.33%

  • Drivers with a speeding ticket: 13.26%

  • Drivers with an at-fault accident: 12.90%

  • Drivers with a DUI violation: 1.32%

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5. Virginia

  • Drivers with at least one dangerous infraction on record: 26.68%

  • Drivers with a speeding ticket: 14.34%

  • Drivers with an at-fault accident: 11.11%

  • Drivers with a DUI violation: 1.95%

4. Wisconsin

  • Drivers with at least one dangerous infraction on record: 27.53%

  • Drivers with a speeding ticket: 14.03%

  • Drivers with an at-fault accident: 9.79%

  • Drivers with a DUI violation: 3.07%

3. Nebraska

  • Drivers with at least one dangerous infraction on record: 27.83%

  • Drivers with a speeding ticket: 12.25%

  • Drivers with an at-fault accident: 13.03%

  • Drivers with a DUI violation: 3.95%

2. Iowa

  • Drivers with at least one dangerous infraction on record: 27.95%

  • Drivers with a speeding ticket: 15.54%

  • Drivers with an at-fault accident: 11.17%

  • Drivers with a DUI violation: 3.42%

1. Ohio

  • Drivers with at least one dangerous infraction on record: 29.66%

  • Drivers with a speeding ticket: 16.0%

  • Drivers with an at-fault accident: 13.05%

  • Drivers with a DUI violation: 3.22%

Data Attribution

The information, statistics, and data visualizations on this page are free to use, we just ask that you attribute any full or partial use to Insurify with a link to this page. Thank you!

If you have any questions or comments about this article or would like to request the data, please contact [email protected].

Chase Gardner
Chase GardnerData Insights Manager

Chase Gardner leads data research at Insurify. He informs readers on major developments in the auto and home industries through analysis of driver behavior, homeownership tendencies, cost of living trends, and more. He received a bachelor’s degree with concentrations in Environmental & Urban Studies and Statistics from the University of Chicago. Chase’s work has been cited in CNBC, MSN, Axios, The Street, and dozens of local news outlets across the country.

Tanveen Vohra
Edited byTanveen VohraManager of Content and Communications
Tanveen Vohra
Tanveen VohraManager of Content and Communications
  • Property and casualty insurance specialist

  • 4+ years creating insurance content

Tanveen manages Insurify's data insights, annual home and auto insurance reports, and media communications. She’s regularly featured in media interviews on insurance topics.

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Konstantin Halachev
Reviewed byKonstantin HalachevVP of Engineering & Data Science
Headshot of Konstantin Halachev, VP of Engineering at Insurify
Konstantin HalachevVP of Engineering & Data Science
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.