This past winter showed just how treacherous driving in the snow can be for individuals not accustomed to it. Freeways in Georgia and other southern states were at a standstill. However, are Georgia drivers the worst in the nation? Actually, according to a study, the answer is no.
A study put together by CarInsuranceComparison.com ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia on their driving prowess. CarInsuranceComparison.com pulled statistics from multiple sources, including:
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- National Motorist Association
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving
The site then scored the 50 states and the District of Columbia on five areas in order to come up with an overall score, or rank, if you will. The five areas considered were:
- Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled
- Failure to obey – this includes failure to obey traffic signals and seat belts
- Drunk driving
- Citations (tickets)
- Careless driving
The higher the overall score, the worse the driving in that state and the higher your car insurance is likely to be.
The state with the worst drivers was Louisiana, and the state with the best drivers was Vermont. This isn’t the first time Louisiana has come in at the bottom.
How can Louisiana and some of the other states hovering at the bottom keep coming in last? NBC notes that many of the states at the bottom of the list are large and rural, meaning they tend to lack public transportation and require long distances between major population centers. Individuals in Louisiana are more likely to have to drive and to drive further than others, say in Vermont. If you’re driving more, you’re more likely to be in an accident. You also have to consider road conditions. In states that are rural, there might be more dangerous roads with no shoulder or hairpin curves. Furthermore, in states that are faced with budgetary concerns, roads may not be as updated as they are in other states.
Missouri definitely has room for improvement. The state is currently ranking seventh in terms of the worst drivers in the United States.