Utah and California are the worst driving states; Rhode Island drivers got in more accidents than any other state while Michigan had the least
Seattle—An annual report released this week has analyzed data from over 10 million car insurance quotes from drivers across the country to determine the best and worst driving states. Online insurance firm QuoteWizard evaluated states on four factors to determine overall driver quality: accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs and citations (running a red light, using a cellphone while driving, etc.).
States rated among the worst were those with the highest rate of incidents, while the best driving states had the lowest rate of incidents.
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.
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 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.
California
California got more DUIs over the last year than any other state. California ranks third in accidents, seventh in speeding tickets and 13th in citations.
Iowa
Iowa was number one in 2021 and ranks fourth in citations, sixth in DUIs and ninth in speeding tickets.
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. 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 ranked 50th (higher is better) in citations, 50th in DUIs, 49th in speeding tickets and 45th in accidents.
Michigan
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
Drivers in West Virginia have gone from first to second to third on QuoteWizard’s list of best driving states because of a high number of speeding tickets. The 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
Delaware has the second-lowest numbers of both accidents and DUIs. The only thing holding the state from becoming first are their numbers of speeding tickets and citations. Delaware ranks 38th in speeding tickets and 37th in citations.
Arkansas
Arkansas moved up eight spots from 2021 to 2022. The state has a low number of accidents and speeding tickets. Arkansas ranked 47th in accidents, 44th in speeding tickets, 41st in citations and 39th in DUIs.
The best and worst states by type of incident
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
SPEEDING TICKETS
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
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
CITATIONS
The most common citations QuoteWizard reports are for things such as texting while driving, not wearing a seat belt and failure to signal. 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
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