States with the Most Accidents
10. Nebraska
Percentage of drivers with prior at-fault accident: 13.76%
Number of fatal crashes in 2017: 210
Accident-related deaths per population of 100,000 in 2017: 11.9
Seat belt use among vehicle occupants: 85.9%
Despite its reputation for hospitality in the American Heartland, Nebraska is home to a sizeable share of drivers that have shown themselves to be less than hospitable on the roads. As a state that is less densely populated than many of the others on this top 10 list, Nebraska obeys the trend that when collisions do occur on less crowded roads, they tend to be more severe. However, while Nebraska’s car crash death rate is one of the highest of this top 10 ranking, it is statistically nearly indistinguishable from the national mean of 11.4 deaths per 100,000 population.
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9. Connecticut
Percentage of drivers with prior at-fault accident: 13.85%
Number of fatal crashes in 2017: 260
Accident-related deaths per population of 100,000 in 2017: 7.7
Seat belt use among vehicle occupants: 90.3%
Connecticut is located along the densely populated Northeastern corridor, and most of its residents drive as opposed to taking public transportation to work according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Therefore, Nutmeg State car owners spend a substantial amount of time on the road in close proximity to other vehicles on a daily basis. Unsurprisingly, this can lead to accidents. Nearly 14% of Connecticut drivers report a history of accidents, at a rate 15% higher than the national average.
8. Utah
Percentage of drivers with prior at-fault accident: 13.88%
Number of fatal crashes in 2017: 247
Accident-related deaths per population of 100,000 in 2017: 8.8
Seat belt use among vehicle occupants: 88.8%
In many capacities, Utah is home to very run-of-the-mill drivers. Its rates of speeding, DUI, license suspension, and seat belt use are all near to the national average. However, in spite of this, the Beehive State is home to some of the most accident-prone drivers in the country. Despite this poor ranking, it nonetheless has the tenth lowest accident fatality rate in the nation, suggesting that even when Utah drivers do get into all of those accidents, most of them are just fender-benders.
7. Hawaii
Percentage of drivers with prior at-fault accident: 14.35%
Number of fatal crashes in 2017: 96
Accident-related deaths per population of 100,000 in 2017: 7.5
Seat belt use among vehicle occupants: 91.4%
Car owners in Hawaii would be happy to tell you that “island time,” where everyone moves between engagements at their own carefree pace, is a romanticized fantasy. They have things to do and places to be just as much as the rest of us. So much so, in fact, that Hawaii is the eighth speediest state in the entire country. All of this rushing between point A and point B often catches up with them, though—Hawaii has the seventh highest prior accident rate nationwide.
6. New Hampshire
Percentage of drivers with prior at-fault accident: 14.68%
Number of fatal crashes in 2017: 98
Accident-related deaths per population of 100,000 in 2017: 7.6
Seat belt use among vehicle occupants: 67.6%
New Hampshire is best known for its rugged individualism and beautiful New England landscapes. However, one surprising fact about the “live free or die” state is that it’s in the top 15 nationwide for the presence of law enforcement officers, according to the FBI 2017 Crime in the United States report. Yet, in spite of this elevated police population, New Hampshire is still both within the top 10 states in the country for prior accident rates and at the very bottom of the ranking for seat belt use. It seems that the threat of a state patrolman around every corner is not a sufficient deterrent to dissuade New Hampshire drivers from the reckless driving that has put them in the number six slot for accidents in America.
5. South Carolina
Percentage of drivers with prior at-fault accident: 15.26%
Number of fatal crashes in 2017: 924
Accident-related deaths per population of 100,000 in 2017: 19.7
Seat belt use among vehicle occupants: 92.3%
Breaking into our top five is South Carolina, a state with a handful of standout statistics. For one, an average of 2.5 fatal car accidents occur in the Palmetto State per day—one of the higher rates in the country. Beyond that, with an accident fatality rate 72 percent higher than the national average, South Carolina has the third highest traffic death rate in the country. These sobering figures may in part be due to the fact that the state has the highest share of speeders in the entire country, with a proportion 1.5 times the rate in the U.S. as a whole.
4. Maine
Percentage of drivers with prior at-fault accident: 16.09%
Number of fatal crashes in 2017: 163
Accident-related deaths per population of 100,000 in 2017: 12.9
Seat belt use among vehicle occupants: 88.9%
Maine has the second highest car crash fatality rate of any state on this top 10 ranking, at nearly 13 deaths out of 100,000. Most of the states listed here are well-populated, with greater congestion and lower wreck-related mortality rates than Maine. Correspondingly, the accidents in these states are likely often lower-stakes, rush-hour collisions. Maine, on the other hand, spends an average of 12 percent less time commuting than the national average, according to the United States Census Bureau, and it ranks within the top 15 states nationwide for DUI convictions. This suggests that Maine’s traffic incidents are less likely to be low-harm collisions and more likely to be perilous accidents than the other states on this list.
3. Rhode Island
Percentage of drivers with prior at-fault accident: 16.24%
Number of fatal crashes in 2017: 76
Accident-related deaths per population of 100,000 in 2017: 7.8
Seat belt use among vehicle occupants: 88.3%
Rhode Islanders have a lot for which to be proud—the state is among the best nationwide for low rates of DUI, license suspension, and crash-related deaths. That being said, residents shouldn’t start celebrating too quickly. Rhode Island motorists are nonetheless the third most likely to report a history of wrecks nationwide. That’s a lot of money in vehicle repairs and expensive car insurance premiums down the drain.
2. Massachusetts
Percentage of drivers with prior at-fault accident: 16.29%
Number of fatal crashes in 2017: 336
Accident-related deaths per population of 100,000 in 2017: 5.1
Seat belt use among vehicle occupants: 73.7
Massachusetts motorists will be the first to tell you that driving in the Bay State is neither fun and games nor a courtesy contest. Scraped exteriors and fender-benders are a routine part of navigating Boston during peak congestion. That said, chipped paint and fatal crashes are far from the same thing; and in Massachusetts, the latter is the exception, not the rule. Mass has the second lowest traffic mortality rate in the U.S., with only five of 100,000 deaths attributable to accidents in the state. However, that is not to say the data only paints a pretty picture for the state, as it has the second highest rate of accidents and the second lowest rate of seat belt use in the entire country. Shape up, Massachusetts.
1. Maryland
Percentage of drivers with prior at-fault accident: 16.67%
Number of fatal crashes in 2017: 511
Accident-related deaths per population of 100,000 in 2017: 9.1
Seat belt use among vehicle occupants: 92.1%
Maryland is home to fewer car owners than the second-ranked state on this list, Massachusetts. However, the Old Line State has seen nearly double the number of fatal accidents, averaging more than a death a day. With the second-longest commutes in the country, Maryland drivers spend a great deal of time on the roads every day, so—perhaps unsurprisingly—those drivers find themselves caught in a traffic mishap more often than any other car owners in the country.
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