New Study reveals the states with the least compliant drivers

Florida personal injury lawyers Anidjar & Levine analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the US Department of Transportation Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) relating to the behavior of drivers involved in fatal crashes in every state.

The study examined the total number of drivers involved in fatal crashes in each state in 2022. The percentage of these instances which involved the following four factors was then identified: the rate of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes, drivers involved in fatal crashes distracted by a cell phone, speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes, and drivers involved in fatal crashes without a valid license.

These factors were then compiled into an index, each scoring out of 10 when compared to all other states and an overall index score out of 100 was identified for every state. This ranked the states based on the compliance of drivers from least to most.

Top 10 States with the Least Compliant Drivers

1 - Montana

According to the study, the state with the least compliant drivers is Montana, scoring 73.79 out of 100 on the index. While the state ranked highly across all the factors considered in the study, the most notable contributor to the state’s rank in the analysis was the rate of distracted drivers involved in fatal accidents, specifically those distracted by cell phone use—ranking among the highest for the latter across the nation.

2 - Kansas

Second is Kansas, with an overall index score of 72.77 out of 100 in the study. Similar to Montana in the top spot, the highest-scoring factors for Kansas in the study were the rates of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes, including those distracted by a cell phone. Kansas ranked with the second-highest rates of both of the factors compared to all other states—indicating lower levels of driver compliance than in other areas of the US.

3 - Louisiana

With an index score of 69.49 out of 100, Louisiana ranks third among the states with the least compliant drivers. While the state also scored highly for the rate of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes, Louisiana was revealed to have the highest rate of recorded instances of drivers without a valid license involved in fatal crashes in 2022, at 22.02% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes.

4 - Texas

Texas ranks fourth with an index score of 68.27 out of 100, according to the findings. The state’s biggest contributing factor to the overall index score, as identified by the analysis, was the state’s rate of drivers without a valid license involved in fatal accidents. For this, Texas ranked second-highest in the US—second only to Louisiana.

5 - Colorado

Colorado rounds out the top five states with the least compliant drivers, scoring 67.02 out of 100 in the index study. The state was identified to rank among the top ten highest-scoring states for three out of four factors considered in the study, with only the rate of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes ranking the state 15th nationally for this factor. This highlights the lower levels of compliance among Colorado drivers across a range of driver-related risks.

Completing the top ten states with the least compliant drivers is Wyoming in sixth (with an index score of 66.38 out of 100) and New Mexico in seventh (64.25)—with the latter experiencing the highest rate of speeding drivers involved in fatal accidents, according to the findings. Hawaii follows in eighth (61.54), while Utah ranks ninth (61.37) and Wisconsin places in tenth (58.18).

Top 10 States with the Most Compliant Drivers

At the other end of the spectrum, the study also identified the states with the lowest rates of driver fatalities involving one of the factors considered. This revealed the states with the most compliant drivers.

1 - Rhode Island

Rhode Island ranks as the state with the most compliant drivers, with an index score of just 25.02 out of 100. Notably, the state reported no drivers involved in fatal crashes due to distracted driving or mobile phone use during the year analyzed.

Interestingly, despite Rhode Island drivers ranking most compliant overall due to most factors ranking among the lowest nationwide, the state had the highest percentage of fatal crashes involving speeding drivers in the US, at 34.29%. However, this did not impact the state’s drivers ranking in the overall study.

2 - Florida

Second among the states with the most compliant drivers is Florida, with the index study scoring the state 26.18 out of 100. Despite having the second-highest number of total drivers involved in fatal crashes in the US in 2022 (5,165), only 6.6% (341 drivers) were recorded as speeding— the lowest rate nationwide.

3 - Nebraska

Ranking third in the analysis, with an index score of 32.80 out of 100, is Nebraska. The state was identified among the lowest-ranking states across factors considered in the study, indicating a high level of compliance by drivers. However, Nebraska was found to score particularly well for its lack of recorded instances of speeding and drivers without a valid license involved in fatal crashes.

4 - New Hampshire

New Hampshire ranks fourth among the most compliant drivers, scoring 33.46 out of 100 in the index. The biggest contributing factor to the state’s ranking was the finding that New Hampshire had no reported cases of drivers distracted by cell phones in fatal crashes during the 12 months analyzed by the study.

5 - Maryland

Fifth is Maryland, with the findings identifying the state scored 33.60 out of 100 in the index study. Among the factors contributing to the state’s ranking, Maryland reported that only 5.7% of fatal crashes involved drivers without a valid license, which was the lowest recorded rate in the US.

Rounding out the top ten states with the most compliant drivers, according to the study, is Vermont in sixth (with an index score of 35.7 out of 100) and Kentucky in seventh (36.03). This is followed by Nevada in eighth (37.46) and Connecticut in ninth (38.05), while Alaska ranks in tenth (39.01).

A spokesperson from Anidjar & Levine commented on the findings: “Understanding the key factors behind fatal crashes is essential to improving road safety. Speeding, distracted driving, and unlicensed drivers remain major concerns, with some states seeing disproportionately high rates of these risks, as highlighted by the findings.

“Many factors can contribute to higher fatality rates on the roads. For example, Montana’s vast rural roads, despite its small population, may contribute to deadly crashes due to high speeds or even due to more limited emergency response. While in Texas, the state’s extensive road network and large population may increase the need for heightened driver awareness.

“However, regardless of location, every driver can help reduce fatalities by staying focused, obeying speed limits, and recognizing that safe driving is a shared responsibility and is key to preventing needless tragedies on the road.”