If you want to stay safe on America’s roadways, steer clear of Montana. The Big Sky State has earned itself the dubious distinction of having the most dangerous drivers in the United States.
According to a new study by the Auto Insurance Center, an insurance news and information website, Montana’s had the highest highway fatality rate per capita over the past 11 years due to careless or reckless driving. It also has the second-highest fatality rate per capita for drunken driving.
Montana easily stakes its claim as the state with the worst and most dangerous drivers. It has a whopping 108 fatalities for every 100,000 Montana residents between 2005 and 2015 due to reckless driving, and 86 deaths per 100,000 Montanans due to drunken driving. According to the AIC:
A common behavior cited in crash deaths in Montana was a lack of seat belt use, in addition to speeding and alcohol consumption.
The AIC report is based on information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System between 2005 and 2015.
Based on car crash fatalities over those 11 years, these five states have the most careless and reckless drivers:
- Montana: 108 roadway fatalities per 100,000 residents due to careless driving.
- Arkansas: 86
- Louisiana: 65
- New Mexico: 52
- North Carolina: 50
Meanwhile, these five states have some of the safest drivers — or at least the least number of fatalities over those years based on reckless driving:
- Virginia: 1 roadway fatality per 100,000 residents due to careless driving.
- New York: 2
- Indiana: 2
- California: 3
- Alabama: 4
The worst states for drunken driving are:
- Wyoming: 93 drunken driving-related car crash fatalities per 100,000 residents between 2005 and 2015.
- Montana: 86
- North Dakota: 68
- South Carolina: 63
- South Dakota: 61
Massachusetts, New York and the District of Columbia earned top marks for having the fewest drunken drivers on the road causing fatal car crashes.
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