Road safety is a significant factor in determining the overall safest U.S. states.
Before the effects of COVID-19 came into play, one of the leading causes of death was fatal car accidents. So far, in 2020, there has been an astonishing amount of deaths due to fatal car accidents. In some states, these numbers are closest to the number of deaths already reported in the state alone. Once we can understand the exact numbers, we can understand why these accidents occur more often in select areas.
Types of Fatal Accidents
As of 2019, the leading cause of death in the country is car accidents. No state had any exemptions from this determination, making each one dangerous for driving their cars. However, many states differ in what type of crashes were leading in their areas.
Here are some car-related accidents that are most common in each state:
- Side-Impact
- Single-Vehicle
- Multiple-Vehicle
- Head-On
Despite this, on the other hand, there are also similar causes to these fatal car accidents occurring. Those reasons include:
- Speeding
- Intoxication
- Distracted Driving
- Auto Defects
- Bad Weather
Fatal Car Crashes by Population
In 2018, there were 33,654 motor vehicle crashes in the U.S., causing 36,560 deaths. The fatal car crash death rate was 11.2 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.13 deaths per 100 million miles traveled.
While states with higher populations had more fatal crashes and deaths, they don't necessarily have the highest death rates per 100,000 population or deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The rate of car accident deaths per 100,000 people ranges from 4.4 to 22.2. The five states with the highest rates are:
- Mississippi: 22.2 deaths per 100,000
- South Carolina: 20.4 deaths per 100,000
- Alabama: 19.5 deaths per 100,000
- Wyoming: 19.2 deaths per 100,000
- New Mexico: 18.7 deaths per 100,000
The states with the lowest deaths per 100,000 people are generally located in the Northeast. The five states with the lowest death rates are:
- District of Columbia: 4.4 deaths per 100,000
- New York: 4.8 deaths per 100,000
- Massachusetts: 5.2 deaths per 100,000
- Rhode Island: 5.6 deaths per 100,000
- New Jersey: 6.3 deaths per 100,000
When it comes to the number of deaths per 100 million vehicles miles traveled, the rates range from 0.54 to 1.83. The five states with the highest death rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled are:
- South Carolina: 1.83 deaths per 100 million miles
- Mississippi: 1.63 deaths per 100 million miles
- Louisiana: 1.53 deaths per 100 million miles
- Arizona: 1.41 deaths per 100 million miles
- West Virginia: 1.51 deaths per 100 million miles
Again, the states with the lowest deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled are generally located in the Northeast. The five states with the lowest death rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled are:
- Massachusetts: 0.54 deaths per 100 million miles
- Minnesota: 0.63 deaths per 100 million miles
- New Jersey 0.73 deaths per 100 million miles
- Rhode Island: 0.74 deaths per 100 million miles
- New York: 0.76 deaths per 100 million miles