Table of Contents
- Texas is the most dangerous state to drive on the road with 4,500 deaths in 2021
- The safest state for collisions recorded 63 deaths in 2021
- The study used data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Association.
The deadliest roads in the US have been revealed, with three states proving especially dangerous.
Research suggests a huge disparity across the United States, with deaths in the least safe state nearly 4,500 compared to 63 in the safest.
ConsumerAffairs analyzed data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA) to determine the five deadliest states, as well as the best ones for drivers.
With 4,498 deaths in 2021, Texas was identified as the most dangerous state for motorists.
The Lone Star State’s 79,000 miles of highways suffered 4,068 accidents in the same year.
The deadliest roads in the US have been revealed, and three states are especially dangerous
With 4,498 deaths in 2021, Texas was identified as the most dangerous state for motorists. Pictured: A fatal school bus crash on West State Highway 21 in March 2024
The bus was carrying 44 Tom Green Elementary School pre-K students and 11 adults on their way home from a field trip to the Bastrop Zoo when an adult and a child died.
Among the deaths reported this year was a school bus that crashed and overturned on West State Highway 21, killing two people, including a child.
Texas also recorded the highest number of alcohol-related deaths, with one-third of motorists involved in collisions testing blood alcohol content (BAC) levels of .01 or higher.
California, Florida, George and North Carolina rounded out the five least safe states.
The data also revealed that Mississippi is one of the most dangerous states for young drivers.
It is believed that one of the reasons for the high number of fatal accidents is that drivers can obtain a license without taking a driving test.
Additionally, the state is among the lowest in seat belt wearers.
“Mississippi residents are twice as likely to die in a car accident as the average American and more than four times as likely to die in a car accident as residents of Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York or Rhode Island,” the ConsumerAffairs data analysts Alexus Bazen and Michael. Dempster said in a joint statement.
The data revealed that states with stricter driving rules tended to have fewer accidents.
Rhode Island was considered the safest state for motorists largely due to its strict traffic safety laws.
Rhode Island was considered the safest state for motorists. While it has adopted the standard national blood alcohol content (BAC) limit of 0.08, it has a lower threshold (0.05) for young drivers under the influence.
Alaska, Vermont, Hawaii and North Dakota make up the five least dangerous states.
Lower speed limits in Vermont have been attributed to a reduction in the number of accidents.
Meanwhile, by percentage of population, New York and Massachusetts ranked second and third, respectively, in fatal collisions.