States With the Best Drivers
10. Texas
Percentage of drivers with any prior incident: 19.88%
Percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket: 9.36%
Percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident: 11.14%
Total number of licensed drivers (2018): 17,370,383
Total vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists (2018): 12.7
Kicking off the countdown is Texas, the largest state in the top 10. The Lone Star State is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to traffic safety. It does have a rate of vehicle-related fatalities that is greater than the national average, but also has a percentage of drivers with speeding tickets or at-fault accidents that are at least 11 percent below the national average.
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9. New Jersey
Percentage of drivers with any prior incident: 19.81%
Percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket: 6.74%
Percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident: 12.48%
Total number of licensed drivers (2018): 6,342,876
Total vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists (2018): 6.3
New Jersey, which is home to the traffic-filled New Jersey Turnpike and legions of New York City commuters, is nonetheless one of the safest states in the country to drive in. Just 6.74 percent of drivers in the Garden State have been cited for speeding, though the state has some of the country’s more lenient speeding laws—only Connecticut boasts a better percentage in that regard. Additionally, New Jersey’s rate of vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists is third-best in the country, trailing just Rhode Island and New York.
8. Arizona
Percentage of drivers with any prior incident: 19.77%
Percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket: 9.53%
Percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident: 10.18%
Total number of licensed drivers (2018): 5,284,970
Total vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists (2018): 14.1
In contrast to New Jersey, Arizona actually has some of the strictest speeding laws in the country, with driving in excess of 85 miles per hour or driving 20 miles per hour over the posted speed limit classified as a criminal violation that is punishable with up to 30 days in jail and fines in excess of $500. Likely due in part to these strict laws, Arizona has a proportion of drivers with a speeding ticket—as well as a percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident—that is well below the national average.
7. Connecticut
Percentage of drivers with any prior incident: 19.71%
Percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket: 5.78%
Percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident: 13.76%
Total number of licensed drivers (2018): 2,605,612
Total vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists (2018): 8.2
Connecticut has some impressive traffic safety statistics to its name. They have the lowest percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket in the country, as well as a rate of vehicle-related fatalities well below average. Though it is not a perfect state with regards to traffic safety—their rate of drivers with an at-fault accident is more than 10 percent greater than average—it’s quite easy to see why Connecticut cracks the top 10.
6. West Virginia
Percentage of drivers with any prior incident: 19.31%
Percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket: 8.57%
Percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident: 10.83%
Total number of licensed drivers (2018): 1,136,775
Total vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists (2018): 16.3
Just 8.57 percent of drivers in West Virginia have a speeding ticket on their record, a figure which ranks among the 10 lowest of the 50 states. Impressively, West Virginia’s percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident is also among the 10 lowest in the nation. Interestingly enough, though, West Virginia has a rate of vehicle-related fatalities that is eighth-worst in the United States, which indicates that the Mountain State still has some work to do when it comes to traffic safety.
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5. Florida
Percentage of drivers with any prior incident: 18.6%
Percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket: 7.44%
Percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident: 11.39%
Total number of licensed drivers (2018): 15,368,695
Total vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists (2018): 14.7
Like West Virginia, Florida’s percentage of drivers with at least one speeding ticket is among the 10 best in the nation. But, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, empty roads due to the coronavirus pandemic may have had an adverse effect on speeding. After just 144 drivers were cited for going more than 30 miles per hour over the speed limit in January, 313 motorists were ticketed in April, when the roads had cleared. This kind of reckless behavior might be one of the reasons that The Sunshine State had a rate of vehicle-related fatalities well above the national average.
4. Nevada
Percentage of drivers with any prior incident: 17.9%
Percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket: 7.64%
Percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident: 10.03%
Total number of licensed drivers (2018): 1,983,453
Total vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists (2018): 10.9
Nevada nabs the fourth spot on the countdown, as just 17.9 percent of motorists have at least one prior traffic violation on their record and only 7.64 percent of drivers have been cited for at least one speeding ticket. Interestingly, Nevada is one of the safest states to drive in despite lacking some crucial traffic laws. According to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Nevada is one of 12 states that was rated as “lagging dangerously behind” in the adoption of the group’s 16 recommended laws to improve traffic safety. The laws include measures to improve passenger safety and stamp down more on distracted driving, but Nevada has implemented only six.
3. Mississippi
Percentage of drivers with any prior incident: 17.82%
Percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket: 10.34%
Percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident: 7.98%
Total number of licensed drivers (2018): 2,058,036
Total vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists (2018): 22.2
Mississippi’s proportion of drivers with an at-fault accident is part of the reason they rank so highly on our list. Just 7.98 percent of drivers have been involved in a crash—only one of the 50 states has a better mark. They are also better than average in terms of the percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket. However, Mississippi also has the highest rate of vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists in the country at 22.2, a mark that nearly doubles the national average.
2. Kentucky
Percentage of drivers with any prior incident: 17.41%
Percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket: 6.89%
Percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident: 10.06%
Total number of licensed drivers (2018): 3,032,530
Total vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists (2018): 16.2
Just 17.41 percent of drivers in the Bluegrass State have a prior traffic violation on record, a figure which earns Kentucky the second spot on our list for the second year in a row. Kentucky also has one of the lowest percentages of drivers with a speeding ticket in the country, and it seems the state is determined to make the roads even safer. As part of a statewide campaign to reduce aggressive driving, police agencies are stepping up their presence on some of the busiest highways in the state, including I-75, as of June 2020.
1. Michigan
Percentage of drivers with any prior incident: 15.73%
Percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket: 8.17%
Percentage of drivers with an at-fault accident: 6.16%
Total number of licensed drivers (2018): 7,153,645
Total vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 motorists (2018): 9.7
Michigan is the safest state to drive in according to our countdown for the second year running. Just 15.73 percent of drivers have a prior moving violation on their record, nearly a full 10 percent less than the second-place state, Kentucky. Michigan is also one of two states that ranks better than the national average by all measures in terms of speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, and vehicle-related fatalities. In fact, Michigan has the lowest proportion of drivers with an at-fault accident of any of the 50 states. Clearly, the state deserves its spot atop the countdown.
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