“What? No way! Wrong.” After seven years, we’ve heard it all. No matter where a state ranks on our annual list of best and worst drivers, everyone thinks their state has the worst drivers in America. We dove into the data to find out which states actually do.
Key findings:
- Utah has the worst drivers in the nation
- Connecticut has the best drivers nationwide
- States with a high number of DUIs also ranked high for other dangerous driving behaviors like speeding and accidents
- Eastern states are generally better drivers than western states
We analyzed over 10 million insurance quotes to find out which states have the worst drivers in America and which have the best. Drivers were evaluated on four factors to determine overall driving quality. Those factors include: accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs, and citations
States that are considered the worst had the highest numbers of driving incidents, while states with the lowest numbers of incidents are considered the best.
Overall worst driving states
| Worst Driving Rank | State |
|---|---|
| 1 | Utah |
| 2 | California |
| 3 | Iowa |
| 4 | wisconsin |
| 5 | Ohio |
| 6 | North Dakota |
| 7 | Virginia |
| 8 | Arizona |
| 9 | Hawaii |
| 10 | Rhode Island |
| 11 | Idaho |
| 12 | Colorado |
| 13 | Nebraska |
| 14 | Wyoming |
| 15 | Indiana |
| 16 | Oregon |
| 17 | Georgia |
| 18 | North Carolina |
| 19 | Massachusetts |
| 20 | South Carolina |
| 21 | Florida |
| 22 | Kansas |
| 23 | Tennessee |
| 24 | Montana |
| 25 | Washington |
Utah
Utah drivers have been headed the wrong way for years. The Beehive state ranked sixth in 2021 and 22nd in 2020. Utah drivers took over the top spot by ranking high in every dangerous driving category. Utah ranks first in speeding, second in citations, fifth in accidents and eighth in DUIs.
Add it all up and Utah drivers could soon be paying more for their car insurance. That’s because risky driving can lead to big changes in what you pay for car insurance.
California
If you saw our list of America’s best and worst driving cities, this is no surprise. California got more DUIs over the last year than any other state. And when you rank high for DUIs, you will also rank high in other categories. California ranks third in accidents, seventh in speeding tickets and 13th in citations.
Iowa
Look on the bright side, Iowa. Yes, you have the third-worst drivers in the nation, but that’s better than last year. The Hawkeye State was number one in 2021. Iowa ranks fourth in citations, sixth in DUIs and ninth in speeding tickets. That’s an improvement over 2021, when Iowa ranked second in citations and fifth in speeding tickets. So….progress?
Wisconsin
Alcohol and speeding are the reasons why Wisconsin has the fourth-worst drivers in the nation. Wisconsin ranks fourth in DUIs and fifth in speeding tickets. Like Utah, Wisconsin drivers have also been headed in the wrong direction over the last few years. Wisconsin ranked 10th in 2021 and 17th in 2020.
Ohio
Ohio drivers made the biggest jump in this year’s rankings. Ohio is now home to the fifth-worst drivers in the nation but in 2021 Ohio ranked 17th. Speeding and accidents are the biggest problems in Ohio. Ohio ranks fourth in speeding, eighth in accidents, 14th in citations and 15th in DUIs.
Overall best driving states
| Best Driving Rank | State |
|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut |
| 2 | Michigan |
| 3 | West Virginia |
| 4 | Delaware |
| 5 | Arkansas |
| 6 | Kentucky |
| 7 | New Hampshire |
| 8 | Maine |
| 9 | Louisiana |
| 10 | Vermont |
| 11 | Illinois |
| 12 | Mississippi |
| 13 | New York |
| 14 | Oklahoma |
| 15 | Alaska |
| 16 | Pennsylvania |
| 17 | New Mexico |
| 18 | New Jersey |
| 19 | South Dakota |
| 20 | Minnesota |
| 21 | Maryland |
| 22 | Nevada |
| 23 | Alabama |
| 24 | Texas |
| 25 | Missouri |
Connecticut
Connecticut drivers aren’t just the best in the nation, they're the best by a wide margin. Connecticut drivers ranked 50th (higher is better) in citations, 50th in DUIs, 49th in speeding tickets and 45th in accidents. Congratulations Connecticut, these aren’t just good numbers, they’re the best we’ve ever seen.
Michigan
It’s no accident that Michigan drivers are second best in the country this year. Michigan drivers were eighth in 2021 and reported fewer accidents than any other state. Along with ranking 50th in accidents, Michigan drivers also ranked 45th in citations and 40th in both speeding tickets and DUIs.
West Virginia
West Virginia is home to some fantastic drivers, they just have to slow down a little. Drivers in West Virginia have gone from first to second to third on our list of best driving states because of a high number of speeding tickets. The Mountain State ranks 48th in accidents, 46th in citations, 44th in DUIs and 36th in speeding tickets. West Virginia ranked 38th in speeding tickets in 2021.
Delaware
From one of the worst to one of the best, Delaware drivers have gotten way better in the last two years. Delaware has the second-lowest numbers of both accidents and DUIs. The only thing holding the First State from becoming first are their numbers of speeding tickets and citations. Delaware ranks 38th in speeding tickets and 37th in citations.
Arkansas
Arkansas may not have taken the top spot but they are the most improved this year. Arkansas moved up eight spots from 2021 to 2022. The state has a low number of accidents and speeding tickets and is doing well when it comes to citations and DUIs. Arkansas ranked 47th in accidents, 44th in speeding tickets, 41st in citations and 39th in DUIs. Arkansas’s move up our rankings looks even better when you compare it to 2020 when Arkansas was the 18th worst driving state.
The best and worst states by type of incident
minor_crash Accidents
Drivers in these states may not be the worst drivers overall, but they do get in the most accidents. Rhode Island takes the top spot, as drivers in this state got in more accidents than any other state. For the second year in a row, Michigan had the lowest number of accidents.
Worst states by number of accidents
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- California
Best states by number of accidents
- Michigan
- Delaware
- West Virginia
speed Speeding Tickets
Not only do drivers in these states speed the most, but they also get caught doing it. Utah had the highest number of speeders overall. Massachusetts drivers got the fewest speeding tickets.
Worst states by number of speeding tickets
- Utah
- North Dakota
- Hawaii
Best states by number of speeding tickets
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- Delaware
liquor DUIs
Drivers in these states got the most DUIs. California had the most DUIs in 2022. Connecticut had the fewest DUIs.
Worst states by number of DUIs
- California
- North Dakota
- Idaho
Best states by number of DUIs
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Lousiana
local_police Citations
The most common citations we see are for things like texting while driving, not wearing a seat belt and failure to signal. But while these citations may seem relatively minor, they are bad driving habits that can lead to bigger problems. Drivers in Rhode Island got the most citations, while drivers in Connecticut got the fewest.
Worst states by number of citations
- Rhode Island
- Utah
- North Dakota
Best states by number of citations
- Connecticut
- Kentucky
- New Hampshire
Methodology
The QuoteWizard research team evaluated driver quality from all 50 states. We analyzed 2022 data from millions of insurance quotes from drivers in each state using QuoteWizard.com. We used a composite ranking system to rank each city for its rate of incidents. Incidents include accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs and citations. States considered the worst drivers had the highest rates of incidents among drivers.
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References:
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