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U.S. States with the Fewest Traffic Fatalities

Try to name the 10 states that have the fewest traffic fatalities per capita.
Rate = annual deaths per 100,000 residents
For 2022. Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
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Last updated: September 20, 2024
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First submittedSeptember 29, 2019
Times taken21,103
Average score60.0%
Rating4.20
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State
4.8
Rhode Island
6.0
New York
6.2
Massachusetts
7.4
New Jersey
7.8
Minnesota
8.1
Hawaii
9.1
Maryland
9.1
Pennsylvania
9.4
Utah
9.4
Washington
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42 Comments
Quizmaster
+12
Level ∞
Sep 20, 2024
These states tend to be highly urbanized with fewer vehicle miles driven except for Washington, Utah, and Minnesota where people are just nice, I guess.

I can confirm that people here in Seattle tend to drive pretty slow and carefully, even though they are bad drivers in other ways.

Overall, the death rate in the U.S. has increased by about 10% since 2017, possibly due to de-policing. The death rate should be going down since cars are safer now.

DaffyDucktheWizard
+10
Level 62
Oct 16, 2019
I guess blue states have better drivers
db27
+52
Level 93
Oct 16, 2019
More mass transit
JamesWycombe
+1
Level 74
Apr 1, 2025
blue states have better mass transit, which benefits their residents keeping them safer?
kalbahamut
+8
Level 79
Oct 21, 2019
I was guessing states that probably had more mass transit, more mature drivers, and a higher person : car ratio.
idontkn1
+10
Level 94
Oct 21, 2019
It means that the median age in most of these states is higher than the national average. Drivers are safer as they get older until they reach a certain age and usually when they reach the age when they are no longer safe drivers they aren't driving as much due to retirement.
Phil
+5
Level 57
Oct 21, 2019
Because the gas is so high, no one can afford to drive.
jtb77
+8
Level 35
Oct 22, 2019
Ironically, of those blue states (Minnesota, for example) the most traffic crashes and traffic deaths occurred in Hennepin County, which leans Democrat. And the county in Minnesota with the fewest traffic crashes and fatalities was a Republican leaning county.
Quizmaster
+6
Level ∞
Oct 23, 2019
Might want to adjust that by per-capita population.
jtb77
+7
Level 35
Oct 23, 2019
That is per capita.

https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ots/reports-statistics/Pages/crash-facts.aspx

EricF
+3
Level 81
Sep 25, 2024
Looking at the most recent statistics (2022) there is no per capita data, and most traffic fatalities occur in townships/rural areas (table 1.16, page 26). Most rural counties in Minnesota are right-leaning (see link). But I'd be more inclined to believe that political sympathies don't have much if any to do with it compared to the differences between rural and urban roads and traffic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election_in_Minnesota#/media/File:Minnesota_Presidential_Election_Results_2020.svg

Jerry928
+2
Level 76
Oct 16, 2019
And, I think, lower speed limits. More freeways with 55 speed limits in the east.
akp713
+4
Level 89
Oct 16, 2019
I don't think it's the speed limits. Germany has unlimited autobahns but a much lower death rate than the US. The main differences are that most of these states are the most heavily urbanised, meaning traffic is just moving slower regardless of the speed limits. They also are wealthy states which would have newer cars with better safety features.

Interesting to note New Hampshire is here, as it is the only US state with no seatbelt law for adults and thus the lowest rate of seatbelt usage.

IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 92
Oct 16, 2019
Most of the people live in the southeast corner which is a couple of traffic clogged freeways and local roads that have become choked with patchwork suburbia. It's not as quaint as they like to project.
jmellor13
+3
Level 68
Oct 21, 2019
I thought about congestion too. I grew up and went to school in the northeast, and there is just much less opportunity to go fast. There's a lot more traffic and there is so much population density that it affects both road construction and how long you can drive without passing an exit (and a state trooper). I've gotten three speeding tickets -- in rural areas in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana respectively -- since I moved to Chicago. In each case, I didn't even realize I was speeding. But when you're on a straightaway for 45 minutes without passing a town or another car, it's easy to accelerate up past 85 mph without even realizing it. By contrast, it's really hard for people in the New York metro area to find a highway empty enough and straight enough to even make that possible.
idontkn1
+3
Level 94
Oct 21, 2019
Usually rural driving is 2 to 4 times more dangerous (fatality wise) than urban driving depending on the study. Outside of New Hampshire most of the states on this list are some of the most urbanized areas of the country.
ander217
+1
Level 73
Mar 31, 2025
Not sure what traffic deaths includes, but if they count deer or livestock accidents, that would account for some deaths in rural areas. We’ve totaled four cars from deer running into us or in front of us. Thankfully, no injuries or deaths, but every year you hear of them. And cows smashing through fences getting onto the road cause occasional fatal accidents, too. And then there are the young men who drive their pickups on backroads on weekends, drinking beer and wrapping their trucks around trees. That has to up the tally, too. And if they count ATVs, there are deaths every year from those in my area.
ander217
+1
Level 73
Mar 31, 2025
I actually just looked it up and although there are many deer accidents, in 2023 there were only four fatalities. I would have thought much higher. I was correct about the ATVs, though. Too many of those.
Geoguessin
+1
Level 74
Oct 21, 2019
I not only mispelled New Hampshire,I also mispelled massachusetts
MasterKenobi
+12
Level 65
Oct 25, 2019
The hell of it is, you misspelled "misspell" twice in your comment!
rabble
+1
Level 68
May 17, 2023
I expected to see more Wyoming/Montana/etc.

Maybe it's.. weather, lighting/lane marking? alcohol?, fatigue/boredom?, road hazards? Like deer/livestock? Or types of vehicles, like more trucks.

Google suggests it's speed. Just physics; fast speed = more energy. And speeding is a factor in 27% of rural deaths.

43% of the drunk fatalities were on rural roads.

46% of distracted fatalities were on rural roads.

Or maybe people get drunk and drive in the middle of the night for fun? ...only 58% of crashes record BAC. "Rhode Island highest estimated percentage of fatally injured drivers with BACs of 0.08 percent or higher (50 percent), Utah lowest (18 percent)". That seems nuts, that 50% of fatal crashes were caused by drunk drivers.

brandybuck96
+3
Level 82
Nov 16, 2023
What's really insane is that the lowest figure here is almost twice as high as the UK figure
Quizmaster
+6
Level ∞
Sep 20, 2024
Not really when you consider vehicle miles driven per person in the U.S. vs. U.K.

I do think that people are better drivers in Europe, though. With the barriers to owning a vehicle much higher, people tend to take it more seriously.

And as usual, it's the worst 20% who cause 80% of the problems.

QRU
+2
Level 77
Sep 20, 2024
It helps, having a system in place, that makes sure that the "worst 20%" doesn't have to drive and that reduces the overall miles driven per person.Having higher barriers for owning vehicles and driver licenses is also predicated on having usefull alternatives.
Quizmaster
+3
Level ∞
Sep 20, 2024
Great if you live in a big city, but how is a person in rural Alabama supposed to get around without a car?

One thing I also didn't mention is that people in poorer places likely drive older, less safe vehicles.

luke0lamoreaux
+1
Level 49
Sep 20, 2024
the pinned comment is funny because utah was the state with the meanest and most aggressive drivers and the most road rage incidents. then the state made road rage illegal and you can get ticketed or arrested if you cause an accident or get caught tailgating, etc... and road rage incidents went down 40%
OliviaPG
+2
Level 72
Mar 31, 2025
For Utah specifically there's definitely also the factor of most of the state being Mormons , who don't drink.
lubi
+6
Level 79
Sep 20, 2024
Cars are becoming safer, but only for those inside them. The rise of SUVs has increased pedestrian fatalities substantially.
Quizmaster
+6
Level ∞
Sep 20, 2024
Good point. Pedestrian deaths have increased a lot since 2017.
Quizmaster
+3
Level ∞
Sep 20, 2024
It's actually a lot worse than I thought. Pedestrian fatalities have nearly DOUBLED since hitting a low in 2010. And looking around at my fellow citizens, I don't think it's because people are walking more.

I don't think that bigger cars are the only reason though. People really are worse drivers, either because cops won't pull people over any more, or because they are looking at their phone. (Pedestrians looking at their phone also impacts this, IMO.)

idontkn1
+1
Level 94
Mar 31, 2025
From what I understand, in locations where they have put up the nicest best marked crosswalks they saw an increase in pedestrian fatalities. It has to do with pedestrians throwing all caution to the wind at these spots and assuming that because of this nicely marked crosswalk they can cross as soon as it shows the guy walking and the audible voice says cross now. If you assume everyone is stopping for you, you don't look up from your phone and just start walking. If you jaywalk you know you're putting your life in your hands and you put that phone down and look twice both ways before crossing.
Froststar101
+3
Level 73
Mar 31, 2025
^ Victim blaming
sumokitty
+1
Level 90
Apr 2, 2025
Unfortunately I can't remember where I read about it, but this issue has been studied and it's not phones. If that were the case, you'd expect to see similar rises in other countries. The main correlation found in this study was with places where there's been a lot of suburban sprawl without corresponding growth of public transport or sidewalks, especially in low-income areas. Basically, you've got more people walking down the side of the road getting hit by people driving bigger, more deadly cars.
RuthlessCosmo
+1
Level 78
Mar 31, 2025
I guess not all Massachusetts drivers are from Boston. The first time I was driving in the Boston area I was going up a one-way street when I saw two headlights of a car going the wrong way toward me. I stopped, at which point he drove onto the sidewalk and passed me.
Koopa
+1
Level 88
Mar 31, 2025
What happened all the other times?
shape816
+2
Level 68
Mar 31, 2025
Not at all surprised Connecticut isn't on here. Maybe the worst drivers in the country.
JohnGisMe
+1
Level 63
Mar 31, 2025
Is this by the state where the fatalities occurred, or by the state where the person was from?
shrekcena
+1
Level 60
Apr 1, 2025
I don't wanna hear s**t about us New Jersey drivers being bad drivers no more 😤
Koopa
+1
Level 88
Apr 2, 2025
Just bad at grammar, then.
JamesWycombe
+4
Level 74
Apr 1, 2025
The UK has 2.6 road deaths per 100,000 residents making it almost twice as safe as the safest state.

People arguing that this is a function of population density, should look at Sweden with only 2 deaths per 100,000 per year.

It's about a willingness to build safe infrastructure, and also I believe a result of better driver training standards.

eurotec
+1
Level 56
May 14, 2025
Interesting quiz. Scored 5/10 and kept randomly guessing the rest.
DynaIsEpic
+1
Level 59
Sep 14, 2025
how are new york and new jersey on there? this doesnt add up at all
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