New study reveals deadliest states in America for learner drivers

The study conducted by injury lawyers at Bader Scott analysed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Motor Vehicle Crash data and the number of crashes between 2017 and 2021 in each US state. The study focuses on the number of fatal crashes which were found to have involved a learner driver in each state to reveal the states where learner drivers are most likely to be involved in a fatal accident.

Kentucky is at the top of the rankings as the most dangerous state in the US for crashes involving learner drivers. The percentage of crashes involving learner drivers totals 2.21%. Between 2017 and 2021, Kentucky saw 5,392 fatal crashes where 119 learner drivers were involved.

The second least safe state for crashes involving learner drivers is Massachusetts, where there were 2,466 crashes overall, including 2,270 involving a driver with a full license and 78 without a license between 2017 and 2021. There were 44 that involved someone with a learner’s permit, giving this state a 1.78% rating for crashes involving a learner driver

District of Columbia places third despite only seeing 229 fatal crashes involving a learner, the lowest total number of crashes in the country. Sadly, four of these accidents involved a learner driver, which is 1.75%. Colorado has witnessed 4,589 fatal crashes, 79 of which involved a learner driver, making the percentage of deadly crashes involving a learner driver 1.72%, placing the state in fourth.

The fifth state where learner drivers are likely to be involved in a fatal crash is Alaska. This state’s percentage of crashes involving a learner driver and ending in a fatality is 1.50%. In this state, between 2017 and 2021, there were 467 fatal crashes, 7 of which involved a learner driver.

The states of Vermont and New York place sixth and seventh in the rankings, with 428 crashes in Vermont resulting in a fatality, 6 of which involved a learner driver, which is 1.40%. Fatal crashes in New York, however, reached 6,920 where, 89 of which involved a learner driver, making the percentage of crashes involving learner drivers is 1.29%.

Alabama is the eighth most dangerous state for learner drivers, with 81 fatal crashes involving a learner driver. The percentage of these types of crashes involving a learner sits at 1.24%. The total number of crashes in Alabama was 6,528 from 2017 to 2021, and 404 involved a driver with no license.

In ninth place is Connecticut, with 1,983 fatal crashes between 2017 and 2021. In this state, learner drivers have been involved in 24 crashes, making the percentage of deadly crashes involving learner drivers totals 1.21%.

Texas is the tenth most dangerous state for learner drivers. There have been 27,392 crashes in the state, the highest number in America from 2017 to 2021. The number of learner drivers involved in a fatal crash is 328, making the percentage of crashes involving learners total 1.20%.

West Virginia is the safest state for learner drivers as they are least likely to be involved in a fatal crash. Between 2017 and 2021, there were 1,911 crashes, but no learner drivers were involved in the accidents.

Both South Carolina and Louisiana only witnessed one accident between 2017 and 2021 which involved a learner driver, despite both states seeing over 5,000 crashes throughout the five years.

Seth Bader, an injury lawyer at Bader Scott, commented on the findings: "It is vital that all learner drivers take extreme caution when deciding to learn how to control and drive a car, and it is even more important for driving instructors to pay attention at all times.

"This study offers an in-depth insight into the number of fatal accidents involving learner drivers in the US, with Kentucky taking the lead as the most likely state for a learner driver to be involved in a deadly accident in America. "

The states where learner drivers are most likely to be involved in a fatal crash