The 10 States With the Scariest Drivers

Beware the Southeast’s roads: You’ll find the worst drivers in the country on them, a new SmartAsset analysis found.

“Maybe it’s the heat causing road rage,” the financial data site quips.

Perhaps there’s some truth to that notion. The Southeastern state that is warmest year-round — Florida — ranked No. 1 in the analysis, meaning its residents are the worst drivers in the country.

SmartAsset found that Floridians do web searches for the terms “speeding tickets” and “traffic tickets” more often than residents of any other state.

Another factor that contributed to the Sunshine State’s ranking: 76.2 percent of its drivers are insured, the second-lowest rate in the nation. Only Oklahoma — ranked No. 3 for the worst drivers overall — has a lower insured rate, at 74.1 percent.

For its analysis, SmartAsset examined four factors and gave them equal weight:

• Percentage of insured drivers (based on data from the nonprofit Insurance Research Council)
• Web search trends on driving tickets (based on data from Google Trends)
• DUI arrests per 1,000 drivers (based on data from government agencies)
• Vehicular-related deaths per 1,000 drivers (based on data from the federal database Fatality Analysis Reporting System)

The 10 states with the dubious distinction of ranking highest in terms of having the worst drivers are:

1. Florida
2. Mississippi
3. Oklahoma
4. New Jersey
5. Delaware
6. Alabama
7. Vermont
8. Tennessee
9. Texas
10. Nevada

To help protect yourself on the road, check out:

• “7 Car Maintenance Tips for Safe Summer Travel“
• “15 Ways to Prepare for Seasonal Driving Hazards“
• “These 10 Behaviors Spark Serious Road Rage in American Drivers“

What’s your take on this news? How would you rank drivers in your state? Share your thoughts below or on our Facebook page.