Deadliest places to drive in the US

The most dangerous driving states share a theme of high populations and deaths related to drunk driving. Some states are named multiple times on holiday lists — including Texas, California and Florida.

We compared recent road fatality data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to find the worst times and places to drive in.

Deadliest states for driving

The top three deadliest states in America — Texas, California and Florida— are in a category all their own, according to road fatality data from the NHTSA.

These states faced the deaths of 3,615 drivers for Texas, 3,606 for California and 3,183 for Florida in 2019. Compare that to states with much lower road fatalities, such as Rhode Island’s 57 deaths, Alaska’s 67 deaths or Washington D.C.’s 23 deaths.

And it wasn’t just a bad year for these states. Ten years of data from 2010 to 2019 tell a similar story, with Texas at 34,784 driving fatalities, California seeing 33,223 and Florida at 27,720 deaths.

States with the most road fatalities per year

Search below to see how your state ranks.

Why do these states have the most dangerous roads?

One interesting phenomenon: The top three are also the most populated states with the highest number of drunk driving fatalities. In addition, all have major cities that bottleneck traffic in one location.

These facts show that states with many residents risk more accidents because, as you’d expect, there are more cars on the road. Plus, people who get behind the wheel while intoxicated pose added risk.

Deadliest cities for driving

Highly populated Los Angeles ranks as the deadliest driving city in the US, tallying 685 deaths. Maricopa, Arizona and Harris, Texas take second and third place with 442 fatal accidents in Maricopa and 421 in Harris in 2019, according to the NHTSA.

Again, these cities are some of the most populated cities in America, so stay extra vigilant when driving in these urban areas.

Cities with the most annual road fatalities

Most dangerous time of day to drive

Most people don’t think twice about zipping home after work or road-tripping at night. But statistics show that the riskiest driving times are between 8 pm and 10 pm, according to the NHTSA. Second to that is rush hour anytime from 5 pm to 8 pm. These times are likely when most people are commuting home or going to restaurants or stores.

When you’re not steering clear of weekday traffic, nights and weekends bring more risk with drunk drivers and low visibility, says the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. To avoid this high-risk time of day, try staying off the road from midnight to 3 a.m.

• Visual
• Data

Deadliest holidays

Celebrations and holidays lead to more accidents and drunk driving. While New Year’s might be your first guess, July 4th is the deadliest holiday on the road, according to NHTSA data.

Fourth of July
This weekend sees over 450 fatal accidents each year. In the past 10 years, nearly 46% of accidents on the 4th were related to drunk driving.

Memorial Day
Another top drunk driving day comes in second with 360 fatal accidents per year — and about 37% of those are caused by drunk drivers.

ThanksgivingIt’s a high-risk weekend to drive that hits around 350 driving-related deaths each year.

Christmas
Holiday merrymaking leads to about 260 fatalities from year to year. And a huge majority of its drunk driving fatalities happened during night hours.

Labor Day
The last holiday weekend of summer sees almost 400 fatalities each year, and many of those happen in California.

New Year’s DayJanuary celebrations cause around 250 fatal accidents annually, with drunk drivers causing shy of half those deaths.

Where are holiday deaths the worst?

You guessed it: California. Being one of the biggest deadliest driving states, Texas holds the highest number of deaths for New Year’s, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas — and is in the top three for Memorial Day.

Texas has the highest rates for Memorial Day.

Bottom line

The most deadly car accidents happen in cities where roads get crowded and during holidays when drunk driving persists. But no matter where you live, you can prepare for the worst and hope for the best by getting insurance protection before getting on the road.

Previous deadliest cities and state studies

• 2020

  The most dangerous driving states share a theme of high populations and deaths related to drunk driving. Some states are named multiple times on holiday lists — including Texas, California and Florida.

  We compared recent road fatality data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to find the worst times and places to drive in.

  Deadliest states for driving

  The top three deadliest states in America — Texas, California and Florida— are in a category all their own, according to road fatality data from the NHTSA.

  These states faced the deaths of 3,642 drivers for Texas, 3,563 for California and 3,133 for Florida in 2018. Compare that to states with much lower road fatalities, such as Rhode Island’s 59 deaths, Alaska’s 80 deaths or Washington D.C.’s 31 deaths.

  And it wasn’t just a bad year for these states. Ten years of data from 2008 to 2018 tell a similar story, with Texas at 34,000 driving fatalities, California seeing 33,034 and Florida at 27,891 deaths.

  States with the most road fatalities per year

  State	2018 fatalities	10 years
  Texas	3642	34000
  California	3563	33034
  Florida	3133	27891
  Georgia	1504	13710
  North Carolina	1437	13742
  Pennsylvania	1190	12713
  Ohio	1068	10998
  Tennessee	1041	10197
  South Carolina	1037	9203
  Illinois	1031	9961
  Arizona	1010	8730
  Michigan	974	9732
  Alabama	953	9094
  New York	943	11534
  Missouri	921	8654
  Indiana	858	8010
  Virginia	820	7900
  Louisiana	768	7620
  Kentucky	724	7582
  Mississippi	664	6533
  Oklahoma	655	6830
  Colorado	632	5298
  Wisconsin	588	5795
  New Jersey	564	6012
  Washington	546	5045
  Arkansas	516	5463
  Oregon	506	3934
  Maryland	501	5235
  Kansas	404	3933
  New Mexico	391	3539
  Minnesota	381	3941
  Massachusetts	360	3731
  Nevada	330	2929
  Iowa	318	3520
  West Virginia	294	3170
  Connecticut	294	2832
  Utah	260	2529
  Idaho	231	2158
  Nebraska	230	2129
  Montana	182	2037
  New Hampshire	147	1207
  Maine	137	1554
  South Dakota	130	1250
  Hawaii	117	1108
  Delaware	111	1162
  Wyoming	111	1266
  North Dakota	105	1250
  Alaska	80	682
  Vermont	68	651
  Rhode Island	59	664
  D.C.	31	269

  Why do these states have the most dangerous roads?

  One interesting phenomenon: The top three are also the most populated states with the highest number of drunk driving fatalities. In addition, all have major cities that bottleneck traffic in one location.

  These facts show that states with many residents risk more accidents because, as you’d expect, there are more cars on the road. Plus, people who get behind the wheel while intoxicated pose added risk.

  Deadliest cities for driving

  Highly populated Los Angeles ranks as the deadliest driving city in the US, tallying 628 deaths. Phoenix and Houston take second and third place with 466 fatal accidents in Phoenix and 366 in Houston in 2018, according to the NHTSA.

  Again, these cities are some of the most populated cities in America, so stay extra vigilant when driving in these urban areas.

  Cities with the most annual road fatalities

  Most dangerous time of day to drive

  Most people don’t think twice about zipping home after work or road-tripping at night. But statistics show that the riskiest driving times are between 8 pm and 10 pm, according to the NHTSA. Second to that is rush hour anytime from 5 pm to 8 pm. These times are likely when most people are commuting home or going to restaurants or stores.

  When you’re not steering clear of weekday traffic, nights and weekends bring more risk with drunk drivers and low visibility, says the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. To avoid this high-risk time of day, try staying off the road from midnight to 3 a.m.

  Deadliest holidays

  Celebrations and holidays lead to more accidents and drunk driving. While New Year’s might be your first guess, July 4th is the deadliest holiday on the road, according to NHTSA data.

  

  Fourth of July
  This weekend sees over 450 fatal accidents each year. In the past 10 years, nearly 46% of accidents on the 4th were related to drunk driving.

  

  Memorial Day
  Another top drunk driving day comes in second with 360 fatal accidents per year — and about 37% of those are caused by drunk drivers.

  

  ThanksgivingIt’s a high-risk weekend to drive that hits around 330 driving-related deaths each year.

  

  Christmas
  Holiday merrymaking leads to about 260 fatalities from year to year. And a huge majority of its drunk driving fatalities happened during night hours.

  

  Labor Day
  The last holiday of summer sees a solid 300 fatalities each year, and many of those happen in California.

  

  New Year’s DayJanuary celebrations cause around 250 fatal accidents annually, with drunk drivers causing shy of half those deaths.

  Where are holiday deaths the worst?

  You guessed it: Texas. Being one of the biggest deadliest driving states, Texas holds the highest number of deaths for Memorial Day and New Year’s — and is top three for July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Labor Day.

For all media inquiries, please contact:

Richard Laycock, Insights editor and senior content marketing manager

E: uspr@finder.com

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