On any road, you will likely encounter your fair share of good and bad drivers. From distracted driving to driving under the influence, there are a variety of ways that our driving can quickly go from good to bad. But bad driving isn’t just frustrating — it can also have deadly consequences. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 42,795 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2022 alone.
While bad drivers span the U.S., some states have safer drivers than others. Utilizing data from the NHTSA, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and other sources, MoneyGeek ranked the safest and most dangerous drivers in the U.S. with an overall driver score calculated from factors in the categories of safe driving habits (observed safety belt use, distracted driving fatalities and unrestrained fatalities), safe driving choices (DUI fatalities, speeding fatalities and DUI arrests) and percentage of drivers with auto insurance. Here’s what we found.