Car culture and America are two terms that have become inseparable.
The U.S. is a country shaped by sprawling highways, suburban spread, and a deep-rooted love for personal freedom behind the wheel.
But with the fascination—and reliance—on cars, comes the inevitable downside: crashes. And some states do a lot worse than others when it comes to accidents behind the wheel.
In this chart, Visual Capitalist’s Marcus Lu visualizes data from Insurify, which ranked U.S. states by their rate of car accidents.
This rate is based on the number of accidents per total drivers in the state. Figures are rounded to one decimal place.
Ranked: States with the Most Car Crashes
Massachusetts has the worst drivers in the U.S., with a 6.1% car crash rate in 2024, the highest of all 50 states.
| Rank | State | Accident Rate (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6.1% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 5.8% |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 5.6% |
| 4 | Maine | 5.4% |
| 5 | Nebraska | 5.1% |
| 6 | Utah | 5.0% |
| 7 | North Carolina | 4.9% |
| 8 | Virginia | 4.8% |
| 9 | South Carolina | 4.8% |
| 10 | Idaho | 4.8% |
| 11 | Maryland | 4.8% |
| 12 | Oregon | 4.7% |
| 13 | Vermont | 4.7% |
| 14 | Georgia | 4.6% |
| 15 | Ohio | 4.6% |
| 16 | Iowa | 4.6% |
| 17 | Indiana | 4.5% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 4.5% |
| 19 | Alaska | 4.5% |
| 20 | New York | 4.5% |
| 21 | Kansas | 4.4% |
| 22 | Colorado | 4.4% |
| 23 | South Dakota | 4.4% |
| 24 | California | 4.3% |
| 25 | Missouri | 4.3% |
| 26 | Alabama | 4.3% |
| 27 | Delaware | 4.3% |
| 28 | Washington | 4.3% |
| 29 | Connecticut | 4.2% |
| 30 | Tennessee | 4.2% |
| 31 | North Dakota | 4.1% |
| 32 | Nevada | 4.0% |
| 33 | West Virginia | 3.9% |
| 34 | Louisiana | 3.9% |
| 35 | Arizona | 3.9% |
| 36 | Wisconsin | 3.8% |
| 37 | Texas | 3.8% |
| 38 | Montana | 3.8% |
| 39 | Wyoming | 3.8% |
| 40 | Arkansas | 3.7% |
| 41 | Oklahoma | 3.6% |
| 42 | Kentucky | 3.5% |
| 43 | Washington, D.C. | 3.5% |
| 44 | New Jersey | 3.4% |
| 45 | Florida | 3.4% |
| 46 | Minnesota | 3.4% |
| 47 | Hawaii | 3.3% |
| 48 | New Mexico | 3.0% |
| 49 | Illinois | 3.0% |
| 50 | Mississippi | 2.9% |
| 51 | Michigan |
1.7% |
Pennsylvania and New Jersey are the worst drivers in the country, and I have been around.
Ain’t no way Maryland is that low. I drive the outer loop every day. White work trucks/vans bouncing all over the place with all manner of stuff that bounces out ( I’ve seen wheelbarrows, ladders, buckets with all sorts of stuff flung out) then there are the ‘crazies’ ( VA drivers) that FLY everywhere. I haven’t seen one that isn’t Hispanic or black and I’m astounded that there aren’t several dozen fatalities per day out there! I’d bet road troopers have some stories!