Fatal traffic accidents, which at one point fell most years, have started to rise again. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported recently that 38,680 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2020. That was the largest number since 2007 and up 7.2% from 2019. Among the reasons were impaired driving, speeding and failure to wear seat belts.
The federal government had no ready answer as to why the increase occurred. However, Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s Acting Administrator, said “Safety is the top priority for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Loss of life is unacceptable on our nation’s roadways and everyone has a role to play in ensuring that they are safe. We intend to use all available tools to reverse these trends and reduce traffic fatalities and injuries.” Hardly comforting.
For the recently released The USA’s Most Dangerous Roads report from legal services provider 1-800-INJURED, a “dangerous road index” was created. Data used to calculate the index included the fatality rate per 100,000 people, the fatality rate per 100 million miles traveled and the fatality rate per 100,000 licensed drivers. Most data came from the Federal Highway Administration and the Census Bureau.
The state with the highest dangerous road index score was Mississippi at 9.93. Its fatality rate per 100,000 people was unusually high at 25.39. Arkansas, South Carolina and Montana followed, with scores above 9 as well.
These 20 states have the most dangerous roads:
| State | Overall Score | Deaths per 100K People |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 9.93 | 25.39 |
| Arkansas | 9.59 | 21.19 |
| South Carolina | 9.59 | 20.79 |
| Montana | 9.12 | 19.65 |
| New Mexico | 8.98 | 18.80 |
| Kentucky | 8.71 | 17.31 |
| Louisiana | 8.64 | 17.78 |
| Wyoming | 8.44 | 22.02 |
| Tennessee | 8.23 | 17.61 |
| Oklahoma | 8.03 | 16.47 |
| West Virginia | 7.82 | 14.89 |
| Alabama | 7.48 | 18.59 |
| Florida | 7.28 | 15.47 |
| Missouri | 7.15 | 16.04 |
| South Dakota | 7.14 | 15.90 |
| Georgia | 7.08 | 15.53 |
| Arizona | 6.94 | 14.74 |
| Kansas | 6.80 | 14.50 |
| Texas | 6.80 | 13.29 |
| North Carolina | 6.53 | 14.73 |
Click here to see which state has the best roads in America.
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