Top 5 States with the Highest Car Accident Rates
Written by Cooper & Friedman PLLC on March 7, 2024
Using a car for transportation is a necessity for most of us living in the United States. They are used to commute to work, to pick up the kids from school, to make a trip to the grocery store. However, while we might strive to be the safest driver out on the road, there is a long list of varying factors out of our control. Sometimes, these factors can lead to car accidents. Common causes of high car accident rates include:
- Distracted driving
- Dangerous roads
- Reckless driving
- Drunk drivers
- Adverse weather conditions
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) latest edition of Traffic Safety Facts, there were a total of 6,102,936 car crashes in the United States throughout 2021.
- 1,727,608 of those accidents caused injuries
- 4,335,820 included property damage only
- 39,508 were fatal car accidents
Seeing these numbers, you might be curious as to which state has the most car accidents. Is your location a factor in whether or not you’re at a higher risk of experiencing a car accident? Keep reading along to find out as we list the top 5 states with the highest car accident rates per year.
Top 5 States with the Highest Rate of Car Accidents per Year
When identifying car accident rates, it is important to consider how each state’s population varies. Knowing how many car accidents occur in each state doesn’t give a clear answer as to what the most dangerous state to drive in might be. Instead, it must be comparative with population or other factors. Therefore, we have ranked the top 5 states with the highest rate of car accidents per year based on the number of deaths per 100,000 people. To put the car accident fatality rate of these states into perspective, the national fatality rate per 100,000 people was 12.94 in 2021.
- Mississippi: 26.17 deaths per 100,000 people
- South Carolina: 23.08 deaths per 100,000 people
- Arkansas: 22.90 deaths per 100,000 people
- New Mexico: 22.73 deaths per 100,000 people
- Louisiana: 21.02 deaths per 100,000 people
According to the NHTSA, the most common harmful event for fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes involved collision with another motor vehicle in-transport. Of the total, there were:
- 23,959 urban fatal crashes
- 15,322 rural fatal crashes
- 42,939 deaths due to speeding
Staying Safe on the Road
Sharing these car accident statistics isn’t meant to make you more anxious about getting out onto the road. In fact, we hope you’re inspired to become a more vigilant driver and choose to make the right decisions.
In general, when it comes to safe driving, we like to use the term “defensive driving.” This includes:
- Controlling your speed
- Limiting distractions
- Maintaining a safe following distance
- Keeping up with proper brake maintenance
If you do find yourself involved in a car accident, make sure to contact Cooper and Friedman. Your local Louisville car accident lawyers are here to take care of your case.
If you or someone you love has experienced an injury in the State of Kentucky as a result of a motor vehicle accident and are in need of an experienced attorney, give the lawyers at the Cooper & Friedman law firm a call. The attorneys at Cooper and Friedman PLLC have over 50 years of combined experience defending the rights of car accident victims. Contact us with questions you might have or schedule a free case consultation with an attorney by calling 502-459-7555 today.