Every year more than 1 million people die in a road traffic accident, with a further 20 to 50 million injured or disabled. There are more cars on the road than ever before and they are also safer, but that hasn’t stopped car crashes from becoming the 10th biggest killer in the world.
The majority of these crashes, more than 90% in fact, occur in poor countries such as India, but there are still some frightening statistics here in the United States. For instance, more than 2.3 million are severely injured every year, more than 37,000 die and 1,500+ of those are under the age of 15. It costs the economy over $230 billion a year and the lawmakers and car manufacturers are doing all they can to put a stop to it, but which states have the biggest problem?
Not a City Problem
If you had to guess which state had the most driving deaths and injuries in the US, you’d probably say New York, Massachusetts or California, states that contain some of the biggest cities in the world, where traffic jams and high-speed chases seem to be a daily occurrence. But it’s actually the opposite.
The state with the most road deaths per capita is Montana, followed by Mississippi. And when you combine elements such as the highest percentage of driver death, road injury and number of residents that don’t wear seat-belts, Wyoming comes out on top.
South Carolina is also one of the most dangerous states to drive, which is why one Charleston car accident law firm has grown into one of the biggest legal companies in the state and why more drivers die behind the wheel there than in 44 other states. New York and California are not even in the top ten. In fact, most states in New England, as well as those surrounding California, are very safe when compared to some of those mentioned above.
The Safest States to Drive
Massachusetts is actually the safest state to drive in the country, followed closely by Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. Washington is also in the top ten, as are Vermont and New Hampshire. For whatever reason, New England is a safe haven for drivers.
Alaska is also relatively safe, while the safest states in the south are Georgia and Florida, even though these two are surrounded by states that are the most dangerous in the country. The opposite can be said for New Mexico. It is one of the top 5 unsafe driving states in the country, but it is bordered by Arizona, Colorado and Utah, which are some of the safest. Even Texas, where residents drive everywhere, is considerably safer than New Mexico.
