Which U.S. states have the worst drivers?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that around 9,330 people died in traffic crashes in the first three months of 2023 – a drop of 3.3% from the same period in 2022. This decrease in Q1 2023 represents the fourth consecutive quarterly decline in traffic fatalities, following seven quarters of year-over-year increases. The NHTSA reports traffic fatalities fell in 32 states in the first quarter of the year, but 18 states and Puerto Rico were expected to see an increase in fatalities compared to Q1 2022. Forbes Advisor recently looked at each of the 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and compared data about the number of:

• Drunk drivers involved in fatal car accidents
• Fatal car accidents involving a distracted driver
• Fatal car accidents involving a drowsy driver
• Fatal car accidents involving a driver who was driving the wrong way (either on a one-way street or on the wrong side of the road)
• Fatal car accidents involving a driver who failed to obey traffic signals or a traffic officer
• Drivers who looked at a phone per mile

From this data, it ranked the states based on how their drivers stack up against each other. States in the northeastern region of the country tended to have the best drivers, Forbes Advisor found, with Washington, D.C., Vermont, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Connecticut coming in at the very bottom of their "worst drivers" list. In the slideshow above, we'll look at which states topped Forbes Advisor's list of the worst drivers in the United States.

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• U.S. traffic deaths see fourth consecutive quarterly decline
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