SEATTLE January 24, 2019; With 2019 officially here, QuoteWizard (quotewizard.com), an online insurance comparison marketplace, today released a new proprietary study ranking the best and worst driving states in the nation for the past year (https://quotewizard.com/news/posts/best-and-worst-drivers-by-state-2019).

Following QuoteWizard’s previous best and worst drivers by state and city studies, this year's study provides updated rankings on all 50 states.

From worst to best, here are the rankings of all 50 states: (https://quotewizard.com/news/posts/best-and-worst-drivers-by-state-2019). Among its findings, QuoteWizard annual research found that these are the nation’s five worst driving states:

  • Maine
  • South Carolina
  • Nebraska
  • California
  • North Dakota

On the other hand, these are the five best driving states:

  • Michigan
  • Mississippi
  • Oklahoma
  • Arizona
  • Illinois

In addition to ranking all 50 states, the study also examines differences in driving skills along political lines.

“Anyone who has ever gone on a cross-country road trip knows that every state has its share of bad drivers,” said Adam Johnson, QuoteWizard content manager. “But, to put it simply, some states are just worse than others. We analyzed millions of data points on America’s drivers to find which states have the best or worst drivers, and the results are both surprising and interesting.”

If you’re constantly frustrated with the drivers you share the streets with, you’re not alone. And there may be some truth to your road rage. Car crashes are a leading cause of death in the US and were expected to cause around 40,000 deaths by the end of 2018.

To put it plainly, America's roads are dangerous. Texting behind the wheel is a major reason for many traffic fatalities, and it’s only getting worse. In 2016, 3,450 people were killed by distracted driving. Plus, cheap gas and a strong economy means America’s 222 million licensed drivers are driving more than ever. More people on the road leads to more accidents and citations.

Regardless of the risks on the road, you have to get to around somehow! Every state has their share of bad drivers, but some are worse than others. See how your state stacks up against the rest.

Rankings

We ranked all states from worst to best based on the methodology outlined at the end of the article. The top states on the list have the worst drivers, whereas the last states on the list have the best. We’ve also used a color code on the ranking list and map. States with bad drivers are filled in as dark shades of blue, while states with good drivers are marked with light shades of green.

  1. Maine
  2. South Carolina
  3. Nebraska
  4. California
  5. North Dakota
  6. Minnesota
  7. Idaho
  8. Ohio
  9. Utah
  10. Washington
  11. Vermont
  12. Maryland
  13. Oregon
  14. Virginia
  15. Georgia
  16. Wyoming
  17. Wisconsin
  18. North Carolina
  19. New Hampshire
  20. Iowa
  21. Delaware
  22. Massachusetts
  23. Kansas
  24. New Jersey
  25. Alaska
  26. Colorado
  27. Tennessee
  28. Hawaii
  29. Connecticut
  30. Louisiana
  31. Montana
  32. Indiana
  33. New Mexico
  34. New York
  35. South Dakota
  36. Alabama
  37. Texas
  38. Pennsylvania
  39. Missouri
  40. Florida
  41. Kentucky
  42. Rhode Island
  43. West Virginia
  44. Arkansas
  45. Nevada
  46. Illinois
  47. Arizona
  48. Oklahoma
  49. Mississippi
  50. Michigan

The Worst

  • Maine: The Pine Tree State has a reputation for lobster rolls and lighthouses. But you’ll find more than ocean views on Maine’s rocky coastline roads – the state is also home to the country’s worst drivers. A drastic rise in traffic citations and fatalities are to blame for Maine’s jump from seventh worst last year to the absolute bottom of the bunch this year. But don’t just take our word for it. According to Maine.gov, there was an increase of more than 1,500 car crashes from 2016 to 2017.
  • South Carolina: South Carolinians love the simple things in life, like cracking a cold one at the beach. The problem? It seems they're too quick to get behind the wheel after having a few too many. Nearly half of all fatal crashes in SC result from drunk driving. Drivers can blame an increase in DUIs for the jump from last year’s rank as the fourth worst drivers to the second worst drivers this year.
  • Nebraska: This Midwestern state climbed from sixth worst in 2017 to third worst this year. That jump is thanks to a rise in speeding and traffic citations. Nebraskans may be used to driving infamy, as our study of the best and worst drivers by city found that Omaha has the worst drivers in the country. But it appears that the rest of the state isn’t much better on the road. Statewide traffic fatalities rose an average of five percent from 2016 to 2017.

The Best

  • Michigan: Congrats, Michigan, you’re number one! If you want a stress-free road trip, pack your bags and head to the Great Lakes State. Drivers earn the gold medal thanks to less citations, speeding, and fatalities than last year. There’s one catch – our study only accounts for insured drivers, and this state has plenty of rule breakers. Although Michigan’s insured drivers are the best in the country, one in five don't have car insurance. Oops!
  • Mississippi: Known for its long name and even longer river, now it has another claim to fame –America’s second-best drivers! That title was earned thanks to low speeding, DUI, citation, and fatal crash rates. The state jumped from third best last year to second best this year. But Mississippi still has a problem with buckling up, as half of the state's fatal car crashes involve unbuckled seatbelts. Even though Mississippi has proven to be full of competent drivers, stay buckled!
  • Oklahoma: From rolling hills to vast prairies, Oklahoma has it all. It also has some of the safest drivers in the country. The Sooner State made a big leap, going from 11th best in 2017 to third best in 2018. That’s because of a decrease in speeding, citations, and fatalities. We’re not that surprised, though, Tulsa rang in at seventh best in our study of the best and worst drivers by city.

Who’s Better on the Road- Republicans or Democrats?

The US has been politically polarized for a long time. But after the 2016 presidential elections and the 2018 midterms, there’s a rising divide between Democrats and Republicans. We took it upon ourselves to settle the score by determining which political party is better behind the wheel.

So, which is it- red or blue? The final score is a bit of a tossup. Considering two-thirds of the best driving states are historically red, and the worst driving state is blue, it looks like red takes the lead. But, the second and third worst driving states are conservative strongholds. So, we’re calling it a tie. Maybe we should take it to the electoral college?

How Bad Driving Affects Your Car Insurance Rates

Whether you live among the best or the worst drivers in the country, you still need a strong auto insurance policy. Especially if you live in Maine, South Carolina, Nebraska, California, North Dakota, or one of America’s worst driving states.

Your rates depend in part on how well the people around you can drive. Why? Because the more bad drivers there are on the road, the higher the chance of a collision. Even if you’re a fantastic driver, living in a state full of speed demons or reckless traffic weavers can cause your rates to skyrocket. Car insurance companies look at your zip code to determine your prices. And if your zip code has a propensity for poor driving, you’ll pay more for coverage.

How can you keep your prices low if you’re surrounded by terrible drivers? You can do everything from bundling your insurance plans to shopping around different insurance companies and comparing auto insurance quotes.

What if you’re part of the problem? Chances are, you have a couple points on your license from past tickets or accidents. And car insurance for bad drivers always cost more. A bad driver’s best option is to look for affordable high-risk car insurance. That way, you’ll be able to stay on the road while those points to come off your record.

Study Methodology

We sampled incident data (with more than two million data points) from the users of our website and juxtaposed it to Federal Highway Administration fatality data. To quantify overall driver standards for comparison, we weighted various incident totals for each state with its occurrence percentage. The rankings are a sum of weighted means calculated from these incidents:

  • Accidents
  • Speeding tickets
  • DUIs
  • Citations
  • Fatalities
  • Methodology

    QuoteWizard sampled incident data (with more than two million data points) from drivers who used its services and linearly extrapolated it to Federal Highway Administration fatality data. To quantify overall driver standards for comparison, QuoteWizard then weighted various incident counts for each state with its frequency. The final rankings are a sum of weighted means which is calculated from total accidents, speeding tickets, DUI, citations and fatalities.

    About QuoteWizard

    QuoteWizard (quotewizard.com) is an insurance comparison marketplace for consumers looking to save on insurance. QuoteWizard provides consumers with direct access to thousands of qualified agents in all 50 states, as well as major carriers, who offer personalized quotes and the opportunity to save up to 40% on auto, home, health, and life insurance. Agents and carriers, in turn, benefit from millions of highly qualified leads, calls and traffic to their site. Based in Seattle, QuoteWizard was founded in 2006.