Safest States for Driving
All 51 US states ranked by road fatality rate per 100,000 population (lowest to highest). States with lower rates have fewer traffic deaths relative to their population.
| # | State | Rate / 100K | VMT Rate | Total Fatalities | Latest Year | Drunk % | Speed % | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts (MA) | 4.9 | 0.6 | 3,303 | 343 | 25.0% | 25.0% | ↓ decreasing |
| 2 | New York (NY) | 5.7 | 0.9 | 9,578 | 1,114 | 18.1% | 6.6% | ↓ decreasing |
| 3 | District of Columbia (DC) | 6.5 | 1.3 | 288 | 44 | 25.7% | 45.5% | ↑ increasing |
| 4 | Hawaii (HI) | 6.5 | 0.9 | 933 | 93 | 33.3% | 30.4% | ↓ decreasing |
| 5 | New Jersey (NJ) | 6.5 | 0.8 | 5,481 | 606 | 22.8% | 11.3% | ↓ decreasing |
| 6 | Rhode Island (RI) | 6.5 | 0.9 | 549 | 71 | 32.2% | 19.9% | ↑ increasing |
| 7 | Minnesota (MN) | 7.1 | 0.7 | 3,641 | 409 | 26.9% | 26.0% | ↓ decreasing |
| 8 | Alaska (AK) | 8.2 | 1.1 | 651 | 60 | 33.2% | 37.8% | ↓ decreasing |
| 9 | Utah (UT) | 8.2 | 0.8 | 2,547 | 280 | 19.6% | 28.3% | ↓ decreasing |
| 10 | Connecticut (CT) | 8.5 | 1.0 | 2,673 | 308 | 32.0% | 33.1% | ↓ decreasing |
| 11 | New Hampshire (NH) | 9.3 | 1.0 | 1,098 | 130 | 26.2% | 36.8% | ↓ decreasing |
| 12 | Pennsylvania (PA) | 9.3 | 1.2 | 10,523 | 1,211 | 23.3% | 31.6% | ↑ increasing |
| 13 | Maine (ME) | 9.7 | 0.9 | 1,416 | 135 | 32.4% | 28.7% | ↓ decreasing |
| 14 | Illinois (IL) | 9.9 | 1.2 | 10,246 | 1,241 | 22.9% | 28.2% | ↓ decreasing |
| 15 | Wisconsin (WI) | 9.9 | 0.9 | 5,361 | 583 | 32.7% | 30.7% | ↓ decreasing |
| 16 | Maryland (MD) | 10.0 | 1.1 | 4,970 | 621 | 24.7% | 27.8% | ↑ increasing |
| 17 | California (CA) | 10.4 | 1.3 | 35,718 | 4,061 | 27.3% | 28.9% | ↓ decreasing |
| 18 | Washington (WA) | 10.4 | 1.4 | 5,528 | 810 | 26.7% | 30.7% | ↑ increasing |
| 19 | Ohio (OH) | 10.5 | 1.1 | 10,742 | 1,242 | 26.6% | 19.5% | ↓ decreasing |
| 20 | Virginia (VA) | 10.5 | 1.0 | 7,746 | 913 | 23.7% | 19.7% | ↓ decreasing |
| 21 | Vermont (VT) | 10.7 | 1.0 | 584 | 69 | 33.6% | 32.2% | ↓ decreasing |
| 22 | Michigan (MI) | 10.9 | 1.1 | 9,467 | 1,094 | 28.1% | 2.6% | ↓ decreasing |
| 23 | Nebraska (NE) | 11.5 | 1.1 | 2,095 | 227 | 29.6% | 16.7% | ↓ decreasing |
| 24 | Iowa (IA) | 11.8 | 1.1 | 3,119 | 377 | 26.0% | 20.5% | ↑ increasing |
| 25 | Colorado (CO) | 12.2 | 1.3 | 5,829 | 720 | 31.3% | 33.2% | ↓ decreasing |
| 26 | Nevada (NV) | 12.2 | 1.4 | 3,123 | 389 | 25.2% | 28.9% | ↓ decreasing |
| 27 | Delaware (DE) | 13.1 | 1.4 | 1,161 | 135 | 25.3% | 27.0% | ↓ decreasing |
| 28 | Indiana (IN) | 13.1 | 1.1 | 7,935 | 898 | 18.9% | 15.3% | ↓ decreasing |
| 29 | Kansas (KS) | 13.2 | 1.2 | 3,706 | 387 | 20.6% | 22.2% | ↓ decreasing |
| 30 | North Dakota (ND) | 13.5 | 1.1 | 970 | 106 | 37.5% | 25.5% | ↑ increasing |
| 31 | Oregon (OR) | 13.9 | 1.6 | 4,673 | 587 | 24.9% | 25.4% | ↓ decreasing |
| 32 | Idaho (ID) | 14.0 | 1.4 | 2,149 | 275 | 30.1% | 21.7% | ↑ increasing |
| 33 | Texas (TX) | 14.1 | 1.4 | 35,453 | 4,291 | 24.9% | 25.0% | ↓ decreasing |
| 34 | North Carolina (NC) | 14.4 | 1.3 | 13,557 | 1,561 | 24.5% | 30.2% | ↓ decreasing |
| 35 | Georgia (GA) | 14.6 | 1.3 | 14,403 | 1,615 | 17.3% | 18.3% | ↓ decreasing |
| 36 | West Virginia (WV) | 14.7 | 1.6 | 2,470 | 260 | 23.1% | 25.9% | ↓ decreasing |
| 37 | Florida (FL) | 15.0 | 1.4 | 29,564 | 3,396 | 20.6% | 9.9% | ↓ decreasing |
| 38 | South Dakota (SD) | 15.2 | 1.4 | 1,177 | 140 | 33.4% | 28.0% | ↑ increasing |
| 39 | Missouri (MO) | 16.0 | 1.2 | 8,602 | 991 | 24.1% | 37.4% | ↓ decreasing |
| 40 | Arizona (AZ) | 17.5 | 1.7 | 9,706 | 1,304 | 20.1% | 31.2% | ↔ stable |
| 41 | Louisiana (LA) | 17.7 | 1.5 | 7,293 | 811 | 29.5% | 19.9% | ↓ decreasing |
| 42 | Oklahoma (OK) | 17.7 | 1.6 | 6,127 | 718 | 22.5% | 21.2% | ↔ stable |
| 43 | Kentucky (KY) | 18.0 | 1.7 | 6,977 | 814 | 23.5% | 16.3% | ↑ increasing |
| 44 | Montana (MT) | 18.4 | 1.5 | 1,840 | 208 | 43.5% | 33.2% | ↓ decreasing |
| 45 | Tennessee (TN) | 18.6 | 1.6 | 10,379 | 1,323 | 24.3% | 16.2% | ↔ stable |
| 46 | Alabama (AL) | 19.1 | 1.4 | 8,643 | 974 | 21.9% | 26.7% | ↔ stable |
| 47 | Arkansas (AR) | 19.4 | 1.5 | 5,243 | 596 | 24.0% | 22.0% | ↓ decreasing |
| 48 | South Carolina (SC) | 19.5 | 1.7 | 9,435 | 1,047 | 31.1% | 41.1% | ↓ decreasing |
| 49 | New Mexico (NM) | 20.7 | 1.6 | 3,684 | 437 | 23.8% | 24.6% | ↓ decreasing |
| 50 | Wyoming (WY) | 24.7 | 1.5 | 1,153 | 144 | 31.3% | 31.0% | ↑ increasing |
| 51 | Mississippi (MS) | 24.9 | 1.8 | 6,303 | 732 | 18.7% | 14.8% | ↑ increasing |
What Makes a State Safer?
States with lower fatality rates often benefit from combinations of factors: stricter traffic enforcement, better road infrastructure, lower speed limits, urban density (lower-speed roads), stronger seatbelt laws, and lower rates of alcohol-impaired driving. Population density plays a role too — states with more urban driving tend to have lower-speed collisions that are less likely to be fatal.
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Rates are per 100,000 population.