Even though fewer people are using roads due to the Covid-19 pandemic, driving on land appears to be the preferred means of travel among people in the US, not rail or air travel. But while driving on suburban lanes, city streets, or country roads, you might have come across reckless drivers who make you regret being in the driver’s seat. Such experience is a lot more prevalent in certain states than in others. And if you’re planning to take a trip during the summer months, this is essential information to know to avoid ruining your holiday fun.

Some of the qualities of a bad driver include driving under the influence (DUI), ignoring signage, and not yielding to other drivers on the road. Now that you’ve known from this source what to look out for in the worst possible driver, you might what to know next which US state has the most of them. But before that, it might be important to first know what metrics are used to determine this.

What Metrics Are Used To Find The States With The Worst Drivers?

Knowing the states that have the worst drivers in the United States entails combining several important factors. These factors are as follows:

• Percentage of drivers with insurance: This information is obtained from the Insurance Research Council and determines the percentage of drivers in a specific state who are uninsured. A person is said to be a good driver if they have an insurance cover as this shows they’re responsible. An insurance cover is also important to the third-party driver who might be getting into an accident with an uninsured motorist.
• Number of deaths per capita due to car accidents (100,000 persons): The number of fatalities is based on data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System of the US Department of Transportation. For state population numbers, data are obtained from the US Census Bureau.
• Number of speed or traffic tickets issued in every state: This helps determine the drivers’ overall safe decisions when driving.
• Number of arrests made per 1,000 drivers due to DUI: Data on DUI arrests may be obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation while those on the number of drivers from the Department of Transportation.

States are each ranked according to the above four metrics. These metrics are weighted and then ran through a dedicated algorithm to determine each state’s score on the Bad Driver Index, using a scale of 0 to 100 points.

So What US State Has The Worst Drivers?

Wyoming, South Carolina, South Dakota, New Mexico, Oregon, Georgia, Florida, Washington, and Arkansas are some of the states named as having the worst drivers based on the above metrics. But outranking them all is Mississippi.

Even though over half of the residents in Mississippi live in rural areas, this state ranks first in terms of having the worst drivers on the road. This is because this fourth most rural state records the second-highest fatality rate in interstate facilities. It is also ranked eighth when it comes to interstate commercial truck traffic.

The Bad Driver Index score for the state of Mississippi is 100.00. This is arrived after considering the speeding ticket per capita of 817.44, DUI of 462.21, car accident deaths per capita of 22.23, and a 23.7% of uninsured drivers. In addition, the traffic accident fatalities in Mississippi are also higher than the national.

Some of the traits exhibited by drivers in Mississippi that make the worst drivers in the United States include:

• Competitive: These drivers enjoy it when they outmaneuver other drivers. Such competitive behavior could be dangerous as it increases the likelihood of an avoidable accident happening. It’s this competitive mindset in search of some thrill that some drivers in Mississippi are said to be known for, which compromises the safety of other road users.
• No car sense: This refers to a driver who doesn’t have a complete idea of the car they’re driving. For this reason, they’re more likely to hit other cars while on the road.
• Inability to focus: Concentration is critical while on the driver’s seat to ensure you know everything that’s happening around you. But bad drivers often aren’t able to concentrate but rather get easily distracted.
• Aggressive: These drivers often find themselves involved in road rage, thereby increasing the chances of an accident. Some of the actions associated with aggressive drivers include tailgating, obscene gesturing, not signaling when changing lanes, and lane blocking.

Takeaway

While you’re bound to meet a crazy driver regardless of where you’re driving, the chances of this happening are higher in some states compared to others. Knowing this, practicing due diligence and conducting in-depth research to find the states with the worst drivers is advised. If you’re searching for such useful insights, this post hopefully has given you light. Learning about this has hopefully reminded you to take extreme precautions while driving on their roads.