Studies Show NY One Of Safest States For Drivers

NEW YORK — New York is one of the safest states to drive in, according to two studies. In fact, it's far safer than the most dangerous states.

In "Safest and Riskiest States for Driving by Car Accident Fatality Rates, 2024" researchers for law firm Bader Scott analyzed 50 states' car accident fatality rates per 100,000 residents with data from the National Health Council.

"In 2023, the United States faced a significant challenge in road safety, with the National Safety Council reporting 44,986 motor vehicle fatalities, averaging 3,749 deaths per month, or about 123 daily. Fatal car accident rates differ across states for a variety of different reasons," the Bader Scott researchers reported.

In 2023, SafeWise ranked New York No. 3. SafeWise’s methodology for the "Safest and Most Dangerous States for Driving" was based on data from the Insurance Institution for Highway Safety Highway and the Highway Loss Data Institute on driving fatalities in each state and also looked at causes, including speed limits, driver age, drunken-driving and distracted-driving laws.

"Your security on the road depends on many factors. Seat belts, road conditions, and, perhaps most alarmingly, other drivers," researchers said. "Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for people under fifty in America, and over 37,000 people die yearly in motor vehicle incidents1. When it comes to driver safety, however, there may be another important factor to consider: where you live."

Bader Scott researchers reported that New York is by far the safest state, reporting 5 deaths per 100,ooo people.

"With a substantial population of over 19.5 million, New York stands as the safest state with a low fatality rate of 5 deaths per 100k people, totaling 1,055.92 deaths, which demonstrates their effective road safety policies in an extremely high-density region," the report said.

SafeWise's conclusions from the year before were similar. New York's fatality rate was the same, at .052 per 1,000 drivers, and that was very slightly above Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The most dangerous states — Wyoming and Mississippi — are far more dangerous, the Bader Scott researchers reported, with 27 deaths per 100,000 compared to five.

"Despite having the smallest population of 584.1k among the listed states, Wyoming ranks as the most dangerous state with 27 deaths per 100k people. The total death count is 159.38 per 100,000, which is significant given the state's smaller population," they wrote. "Mississippi has a population of 2.9 million and matches Wyoming's fatality rate with 27 deaths per 100k people. With a total of 799.99 deaths, it suggests a high level of road safety risk relative to its population."

SafeWise researchers said that age appeared to be a factor in fatalities when distracted driving was involved.

"At least one of the most dangerous states for distracted driving is in the top ten lowest median ages in the US, and two of the states with less distracted drivers have the highest median age in the United States," they reported. "There’s another interesting correlation between distracted driving and the age of your vehicle’s occupants. States considered the worst in America for distracted driving also have higher than average birthrates. As you might imagine, those with babies on board may be more concerned about what’s going on in the back seat than what’s happening on the road ahead."