State-by-State Breakdown of Driving Incident Rates: Where Does Yours Rank?
Recent studies show wide differences in driving safety across the U.S. While states like Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and California report the highest incident rates, Michigan, Arkansas, and Vermont have the lowest.
Massachusetts has been ranked as having the worst drivers in the United States, according to a recent study conducted by the finance site Lending Tree.
The study, which analyzed data from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., between November 5, 2023, and November 4, 2024, found that Massachusetts led the nation in reported incidents, including speeding violations, DUIs, and citations, with a rate of 61.1 incidents per 1,000 drivers.
The state(Massachusetts) also stood out for its accident rate, which was the highest in the country at 44.4 accidents per 1,000 drivers—making it the only state to surpass 40 in this category.
Arkansas boasts the best drivers in the U.S., with just 14.7 incidents per 1,000 drivers—the lowest rate nationwide. Michigan and Vermont follow closely, with rates of 15.3 and 15.5 incidents per 1,000 drivers, respectively. Conversely, the District of Columbia and California have the highest DUI rates, with D.C. leading at 3.6 DUIs per 1,000 drivers, slightly ahead of California’s 3.5. North Carolina ranks third with 2.9 DUIs per 1,000 drivers.
North Dakota holds the highest speeding-related incident rate, standing alone with more than 8.0 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers, at 8.1. Iowa and Utah follow, with rates of 7.3 and 6.2 incidents per 1,000 drivers, respectively.
