These US states have the worst drivers, according to a new study – Jalopnik

In December 2025, Credit boom has published a study ranking states among the worst drivers, evaluating several categories ranging from speeding to accidents per 1,000 drivers. The data was quite extensive and revealed some surprising findings.

But we wonder: Isn’t there enough division between the red states and the blue states without competing over who has the worst drivers? Oh, it’s not a competition? Well, someone should have told North Dakota, which emerges as the state with the worst drivers in almost every category, with an alarming rate of incidents, speeding and drunk driving.

Other offenders include New Jersey, which also ranked on Consumer Affairs’ list as one of the states with the most aggressive drivers. New Jersey not only has more accidents per 1,000 drivers than other states, but it also leads the nation by a wide margin. Rhode Island, California, Maine and Massachusetts round out the list of states when it comes to accidents. Utah ranks in the top 10 worst states in multiple categories, as does California, which is probably no surprise to anyone who has had to drive in Los Angeles. But North Dakota steals the show when it comes to bad drivers.

Well, now North Dakota has something to be known for, and that would be the number of “incidents” the drivers get involved in. The study defines ‘incidents’ as accidents, drunk driving, speeding and fines. It’s kind of a combination of the other categories in this study. North Dakota had 64 such incidents per 1,000 drivers. New Jersey came in a distant second with 58.8 incidents, with Utah, Rhode Island and Washington rounding out the top five in this category.

Michigan, on the other hand, has the best drivers by this measure, with only 20.9 incidents per 1,000 drivers (good for you, Michigan!). Florida comes in at number 2 with 23.1 per 1,000 drivers. This should come as a shock, especially to Floridians, but also to anyone who has had to drive in Florida. But everything is relative. Colorado is a close third with 23.7 incidents per 1,000 drivers. Connecticut and Illinois come in at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

One of LendingTree’s own insurance experts, Rob Bhatt, says it’s tempting to speed in rural areas, where there isn’t much traffic to slow you down. We assume that Rob has not been stuck behind a farmer’s combination for very long at a speed of 32 km/h on a two-lane road with only passing zones. Still, this statement would shed light on the fact that so many of the most offending states at the top of this list are largely rural. Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Minnesota fill out the rest of the top five states for most speeding incidents per 1,000 drivers.

New Jersey had the lowest rate of speeding incidents, just 0.2 per 1,000 drivers. That’s surprising, considering how poorly New Jersey scores in the accident category. Massachusetts, New York, the District of Columbia and California all had less than one speeding incident per 1,000, which is impressive. Well, except California. The numbers are likely skewed by all the drivers stuck in heavy traffic around LA during rush hour. Surprisingly, although not in the “less than one club” for this category, Florida still ranked sixth. Will the miracles never end?

Other states with high DUI rates include California, Minnesota and Utah. Wyoming and Wisconsin share fifth place. Nevada, Iowa and Alaska all tie for seventh place. Curiously, the study does not mention sixth place, but skips it because two states are tied for fifth place.

Florida is once again an example for the rest of the country. It has the lowest rate of DUI incidents (only 0.4 per 1,000 drivers). Now we have to ask ourselves: Doesn’t Florida Man have a driver’s license? Is this why this number is so low? Other states that deserve praise in this regard include Illinois, Mississippi, West Virginia, Colorado, Missouri, Alabama, South Carolina and Delaware, all of which had less than one DUI incident per 1,000 drivers.

Yeah, it wasn’t that funny when it originally aired either. But we bring it up because we imagine that I-95 becomes quite congested on a daily basis due to accidents that need to be cleared. With 31.5 accidents per 1,000 drivers, the Garden State is the only state to exceed 30 accidents per 1,000 drivers. Congratulations, New Jersey! You’re worse at something than North Dakota. We’re surprised New Jersey isn’t on the list of the deadliest states for American drivers. The next closest would be Rhode Island with 29 per 1,000. California comes in at number 3 with 28.1. The top five is supplemented here by Maine and Massachusetts. North Dakota didn’t even make the top 10 in this category.

Of the states with the lowest crash rates, Michigan fares the best with just 10 per 1,000 drivers, followed by Colorado with 11.7. Florida distinguishes itself again and is in a good third place with 11.9. Rounding out the lowest five crashes per 1,000 drivers are Mississippi and Minnesota.

You need to be careful no matter what state you drive through, even Florida. Driving soberly and adhering to the speed limit are also important parts of staying safe. Bhatt pointed out that speeding, impaired driving and distracted driving are the three biggest causes of car accidents. Interestingly enough, LendingTree’s research didn’t really address distracted driving. Data on distracted driving behavior may be more difficult to obtain. As of this writing, there is no ban on distracted driving in Montana, and you can’t get pulled over for it in Ohio. Either way, we can all agree that it’s a dangerous thing to do, and we should all put our phones down while driving.

LendingTree’s report also includes a helpful tip on obtaining “uninsured motorist coverage.” One in seven directors has no liability insurance. That’s scary, especially if you live in New Jersey. Uninsured motorist coverage covers you if you are hit by such a person. Whatever the case, let’s all be careful out there.