The 10 Most Accident-Prone States in 2022
10. Indiana
Share of drivers with an at-fault accident on record: 9.6% (9% higher than national average)
Number of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 1.17
Number of people killed in traffic accidents every year: 1 in 7,576
Indiana has a history of success when it comes to college basketball but also a history of inattentiveness when it comes to driving. 9.6% of Hoosier State drivers have a prior accident on record, a share that’s 9% higher than the national average. Overall, the state ranks 10th on the list of states with the most accidents in 2022.
9. Iowa
Share of drivers with an at-fault accident on record: 9.7% (10% higher than national average)
Number of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 1.13
Number of people killed in traffic accidents every year: 1 in 9,434
Iowa drivers do not exhibit total control behind the wheel in 2022, as the state’s at-fault accident rate of 9.7% is the ninth-highest in the nation. However, those crashes have not led to increased traffic fatalities. The Hawkeye State’s 1.13 motor vehicle crash deaths per 100 million miles driven are actually 16% lower than the U.S. average.
8. North Carolina
Share of drivers with an at-fault accident on record: 10.0% (13% higher than national average)
Number of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 1.45
Number of people killed in traffic accidents every year: 1 in 6,803
The Tar Heel State is known more for its beaches than for its drivers — and for good reason. 10% of motorists in North Carolina report an at-fault accident on record, which is the eighth-highest share in the nation. The state’s traffic crash fatality rate is also 6% higher than the national average.
7. Maine
Share of drivers with an at-fault accident on record: 10.5% (19% higher than national average)
Number of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 1.25
Number of people killed in traffic accidents every year: 1 in 8,333
Taking a stroll along Maine’s breathtaking coastline may be a relaxing experience, but taking a drive along one of the state’s freeways can be anything but. That’s because 10.5% of Maine drivers have an at-fault accident on their driving record, which places the Pine State seventh on the list of states with the most accident-prone drivers in 2022. However, Maine’s traffic fatality rate is below the U.S. average.
6. Maryland
Share of drivers with an at-fault accident on record: 10.5% (19% higher than national average)
Number of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 1.11
Number of people killed in traffic accidents every year: 1 in 10,870
Given that 10.5% of Maryland drivers have a prior at-fault accident on record — the sixth-highest share in the nation — it’s possible that motorists in the state are occasionally distracted behind the wheel. Perhaps they’re daydreaming about the state’s delicious Old Bay seasoning? Whatever the reason, Maryland drivers really are causing a high rate of accidents, though not necessarily fatal ones: the state’s traffic fatalities per capita are 17% lower than the national average.
5. Georgia
Share of drivers with an at-fault accident on record: 10.6% (20% higher than national average)
Number of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 1.43
Number of people killed in traffic accidents every year: 1 in 6,452
The Peach State’s at-fault accident rate of 10.6% isn’t so peachy, as it’s 20% higher than the national average. By raw numbers, Georgia also has the fourth most yearly fatalities due to motor vehicle crashes but only the eighth-largest population in the country. This discrepancy means Georgia has some of the most dangerous roads in the country, especially among populous states: 1 in 6,452 residents are killed in motor vehicle accidents every year.
4. Nebraska
Share of drivers with an at-fault accident on record: 10.6% (20% higher than national average)
Number of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 1.20
Number of people killed in traffic accidents every year: 1 in 8,403
Nestled in the heart of the Great Plains, Nebraska has plenty of straight, flat roads, but some Cornhusker drivers still struggle to keep their vehicles between the lines. 10.6% of Nebraska drivers report an at-fault accident on record, which is the fourth-highest share in the nation. The state also has a traffic fatality rate that is 10% lower than the national average.
3. Ohio
Share of drivers with an at-fault accident on record: 11.4% (29% higher than national average)
Number of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 1.19
Number of people killed in traffic accidents every year: 1 in 9,615
People may joke that there’s nothing notable about Ohio, but the state’s at-fault accident rate says differently. 11.4% of Buckeye drivers report having caused an accident within the past seven years, which is the third-highest among all states in the country. However, the number of Ohio traffic fatalities per mile driven is 11% below average, so accidents in the state are less likely to be deadly than those across the U.S. as a whole.
2. Massachusetts
Share of drivers with an at-fault accident on record: 11.9% (35% higher than national average)
Number of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 0.63
Number of people killed in traffic accidents every year: 1 in 20,408
Massachusetts is one of the most perplexing states in the country when it comes to traffic accidents. 11.9% of Bay State drivers — 35% more than the U.S. average — report an at-fault accident on record, but the state’s number of traffic fatalities per mile driven is 53% lower than the national average. Its number of yearly motor vehicle fatalities per capita is 58% lower than the U.S. average, too. Drivers in the state do cause plenty of accidents, but the vast majority are not life-threatening.
1. South Carolina
Share of drivers with an at-fault accident on record: 12.0% (37% higher than national average)
Number of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 1.97
Number of people killed in traffic accidents every year: 1 in 4,831
With a 12% at-fault accident rate, South Carolina drivers cause the most accidents in the country in 2022. Unlike Massachusetts, however, the Palmetto State also has the highest traffic fatality rate in the nation. Overall, South Carolina residents are more than four times as likely to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident than their Massachusetts counterparts, pointing to how dangerous the state’s roads are.
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