CHARLOTTE — The argument over which state or city has the worst drivers has been going on for decades, but a new study is ranking the best and worst drivers in the country.
LendingTree used recent insurance data to look at the number of “driving incidents” in every state and then ranked the best to worst by which states had the most driving incidents per 1,000 people. The analysis classifies a “driving incident” as either an accident, DUI, speeding-related incident, or a citation.
Based on that data, Michigan came out on top with the best drivers (or at least the ones the best at hiding their mistakes from their insurance companies.)
The list of states from best drivers to worst is below:
Best and worst drivers in the U.S. Think you've got the worst drivers in the country? A new study by LendingTree ranked the states' drivers from best to worst based on number of driving incidents.
Driving incidents are defined as accidents, DUIs, speeding-related incidents, and citations.
(Photos provided by Canva, Getty, Department of Transportation) Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 51. Michigan Michigan: 11.28 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 50. Arkansas Arkansas: 12.81 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 49. Vermont Vermont: 14.87 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 48. Kentucky Kentucky: 15.14 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 47. West Virginia West Virginia: 15.33 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 46. Oklahoma Oklahoma: 15.75 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 45. New York New York: 16.56 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 44. Louisiana Louisiana: driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 43. Mississippi Mississippi: 17.10 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 42. New Hampshire New Hampshire: 17.35 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 41. Connecticut Connecticut: 18.02 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 40. Alaska Alaska: 18.32 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 39. Nevada Nevada: 18.89 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 38. Delaware Delaware: 18.90 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 37. Massachusetts Massachusetts: 19.29 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 36. South Dakota South Dakota: 19.38 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 35. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania: 19.70 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 34. New Mexico New Mexico: 19.89 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 33. Illinois Illinois: 21.41 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 32. Florida Florida: 21.96 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 31. Minnesota Minnesota: 22.63 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 30. Colorado Colorado: 22.88 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 29. Kansas Kansas: 23.01 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 28. Missouri Missouri: 23.12 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 27. Arizona Arizona: 23.38 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 26. Alabama Alabama: 23.52 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 25. Wyoming Wyoming: 23.62 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 24. Iowa Iowa: 24.42 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 23. New Jersey New Jersey: 24.71 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 22. Wisconsin Wisconsin: 24.85 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 21. Tennessee Tennessee: 25.12 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 20. Georgia Georgia: 25.35 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 19. Texas Texas: 25.61 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 18. Nebraska Nebraska: 25.80 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 17. Hawaii Hawaii: 26.02 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 16. Idaho Idaho: 26.48 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 15. Maryland Maryland 27.07 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 14. Washington Washington: 27.34 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 13. Virginia Virginia: 27.65 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 12. Montana Montana: 28.02 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 11. Oregon Oregon: 28.41 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 10. North Dakota North Dakota: 28.56 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 9. Ohio Ohio: 28.90 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 8. South Carolina South Carolina: 29.12 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 7. Indiana Indiana: 29.81 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 6. Utah Utah: 31.07 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 5. North Carolina North Carolina: 32.44 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 4. Washington D.C. Washington D.C.: 35.16 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 3. California California: 40.37 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 2. Maine Maine: 50.05 driving incidents per 1,000 residents Best and worst drivers in the U.S. - 1. Rhode Island Rhode Island: 51.33 driving incidents per 1,000 residents
Having more driving incidents in your state can have a big hit on your wallet, since that’s a factor in how insurance companies set their rates.
North Carolina ranked in the top 10 for most driving incidents, and 9 Investigates found that reckless driving in Charlotte had been on the rise in recent years.
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