# The States With The Deadliest Driving Habits

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, almost 40,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2024, with millions more injured every year. But what’s causing the fatalities and accidents, and how do states compare in terms of specific driving habits?

This campaign, from [Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers](https://www.floridainjuryadvocate.com/fort-lauderdale/car-accident-lawyer/), considers state fatal crash data and the key contributing driver behaviors across all fatalities.

The study underscores the fact that the deadliest driving habit is not consistent across all states, and that no single behavior dominates national roads, with each state carrying its own distinct risk profile due to factors such as road type, speed limits, enforcement patterns, and even regional driving culture.

Let’s take a look at each state’s primary deadly driving habit.

### The Deadliest Behavior By State

No single consistent dangerous driving behavior dominates all U.S. states. In 25 of 51 jurisdictions (50 states plus the District of Columbia), speeding is the behavior with the highest per capita fatality rate; in 23, the main road killer is alcohol-impaired driving. For just 3 (Louisiana, New Jersey, and New Mexico), the leading problem is distracted driving.

That means the country is essentially split between speeding and drinking as the main killer on national roads, aside from a small group of anomalous states.

The states with the highest per capita rates in each category feature rates significantly above the national average level. Montana recorded the highest speeding rate (7.83 fatalities per 100,000 residents), with South Carolina recording the highest alcohol-impaired rate (7.61). New Mexico featured the highest distracted-driving rate (7.46).

Geography plays a major role in which behavior is most prominent in a state. Speeding tends to be a particular problem in states that feature long rural highways and a comparatively low population density.

Good examples include Montana, Wyoming (7.15 per 100,000), and North Carolina (6.12). Alcohol-impaired driving is especially notable across the South and in parts of the Midwest, such as South Carolina and Mississippi (5.81). Meanwhile, Arizona’s speeding rate (5.88) emphasizes the fact that neighboring states can have a completely different leading dangerous driving behavior, despite a similar regional profile.

Compared to per capita figures, a state’s total fatality figures offer an incomplete means of measuring its dangerous driving behavior. Texas recorded the nation’s highest fatality total (4,160 fatalities); its worst behavior, alcohol-impaired driving, featured a rate of 5.36 per 100,000. In contrast, Rhode Island (with just 52 total fatalities) recorded an alcohol-impaired rate of 1.71 per 100,000.

Clearly, population size is far more significant when it comes to raw fatality counts than regarding how dangerous driving is within a state.

Ultimately, America’s dangerous driving behavior problem (speeding, alcohol impairment, and in a few cases, distraction) shifts from state to state, which means that targeted campaigns or policies need to be tailored to individual places as opposed to the entire country. In the following states, the main per capita issue is clearly speeding.

### The Country’s Main Speeding States

If we measure per capita statistics (2024), Montana is at the top of the state list with 7.83 speeding-related fatalities per 100,000 residents, due to 89 deaths in a state of just over a million people.

Although South Carolina and Wyoming are tied in second place (7.15 per 100,000), the former’s 392 fatalities reflect a medium-sized state with a fairly large volume of traffic. Due to its comparatively small size, Wyoming numbers reflect far fewer deaths (42).

While fourth-placed New Mexico has a serious proportional speeding issue (6.95 per 100,000), North Carolina figures are on a much more significant scale: its 676 speeding-related fatalities (the nation’s second-highest raw total) work out as 6.12 per 100,000, confirming that its risk isn’t just a matter of population size.

Arizona, Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri and Vermont complete the top ten, with rates that range from 4.93 to 5.88 per 100,000. Combined, the group reflects a mix of Sun Belt states with heavy interstate traffic and smaller, rural states (with some roads associated with higher speeds and a low enforcement presence) where a comparatively small number of deaths can lead to an outsized per capita rate.

Combined, the ten per capita speeding fatality leaders account for just 2,651 fatalities, 23.5% of the national speeding-related total (11,288), further highlighting the difference between a high fatality rate and a high overall death toll.

### Speeding: Raw Totals

In terms of total speeding-related fatalities, Texas leads (1,496 deaths), followed by California (1,139), the only other state above 1,000, and North Carolina (676). Arizona (446), Pennsylvania (437), Illinois (423), South Carolina (392), New York (364), Florida (360), and Georgia (339) complete the raw total top ten.

Together, these ten states account for 6,072 fatalities, 53.8% of the U.S. total. That means just ten states account for more than half of America’s speeding-related deaths.

Yet there is not much overlap between the raw and per capita rankings, with only North Carolina, Arizona, and South Carolina appearing in both lists. While Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, Florida, and Georgia all have high fatality numbers, they also rank in the lower half of the per capita list. Clearly, per capita rates provide a clearer picture of risk per resident.

### Where Does Florida Stand?

Florida’s statistics perfectly illustrate the raw numbers versus per capita comparison. In 2024, the state recorded 360 speeding-related fatalities, the country’s ninth-highest raw total. But if we account for population, its rate falls to 1.54 per 100,000. That would put Florida in 49th place on the ranking list out of 51, ahead of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The gap between Florida’s raw count and its per capita ranking underscores the campaign’s central point: a state as big as Florida (around 23 million residents) can record a high death toll due to its enormous traffic volume; but much smaller states like Montana and Wyoming can feature much more dangerous roads.

Across the country, the same principle applies to states with a drunk driving problem. As the top ten states on the list show, volume and risk are not the same thing.

### The Country’s Main Drunk Driving States

Top-ranking South Carolina has the highest per capita drunk driving rate (7.61 fatalities per 100,000 residents), based on 417 deaths. Montana follows (6.59 per 100,000), despite suffering just 75 fatalities. As we’ve seen previously, sparsely populated states can record some of the country’s highest rates without ranking high for raw-count numbers.

Mississippi (5.81) recorded 171 deaths, while Wyoming’s (5.79) 34 deaths further confirm how few fatalities are needed to produce a high per capita rate in a small state.

Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Alabama (5.53 to 5.37 per 100,000) further reinforce the regional pattern featuring Southern and Southwestern states seen across other dangerous-driving categories.

Ninth-placed Texas (5.36 per 100,000) also recorded 1,676 alcohol-impaired fatalities, by far the highest raw total in the U.S., and more than four times that of any other state in the top ten. Texas is anomalous in that it combines high volume with a high per capita rate, unlike other large states like California and Florida. Arkansas completes the top ten (4.99 per 100,000).

Collectively, these ten states recorded 3,563 alcohol-impaired fatalities, around 29.9% of the national total (11,904).

### Alcohol Impairment: Raw Totals

Once again, the raw total list looks very different to the per capita risk ranking. By total fatalities, Texas (1,676) leads, followed by California (1,311), and Florida (769). The remaining raw-count top ten are North Carolina (449), Ohio (424), Arizona (419), South Carolina (417), Illinois (338), Tennessee (332), and Georgia (325).

Combined, these states account for 6,460 fatalities, 54.3% of the national total. Yet only Arizona, South Carolina, and Texas appear in top ten lists for both raw totals and per capita rates. While the likes of California, Florida, and North Carolina feature high death tolls, once we factor in population, they’re relatively low on the ranking list.

As with speeding fatalities, Florida again provides a clear example. Its 769 alcohol-impaired fatalities are the third-highest total recorded, yet its per capita rate of 3.29 per 100,000 puts it in 31st place out of 51. Additionally, alcohol impairment was the key factor in 24.5% of Florida’s 3,138 total traffic fatalities, compared with 30.3% nationally.

Because South Carolina features very highly on both the alcohol-impaired and speeding per capita ranking lists, it may be the case that common road, enforcement, or driving-culture factors compound risk across multiple behaviors.

### Popular Alcohol Impairment Times

Alcohol-impaired driving peaks between midnight and 3 a.m. In 2024, of the 2,729 passenger-vehicle drivers killed during that period, 1,108 had a confirmed BAC of .08 or higher, which means 40.6% were legally impaired.

If we include officer-reported drinking, the figure rises to 1,378 drivers, or 50.5%. That means around half of the drivers killed during those hours were documented as being alcohol-impaired.

This is in stark contrast with daytime driving risk. Only 8.5% of drivers killed between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. were alcohol impaired, which means a driver killed between midnight and 3 a.m. was about five times as likely to have been drinking as one killed during the day.

## The Country’s Main Distracted Driver States

For distracted drivers, at a per capita level, New Mexico is significantly the top-ranking state, with 7.46 distracted-driving fatalities per 100,000 residents and 159 deaths.

Louisiana follows (4.78 per 100,000, 220 fatalities), while Kentucky ranks third (3.16 per 100,000, 145 deaths). Both states combine elevated rates with high raw totals.

Hawaii, Kansas, and Idaho make up the middle of the list (rates of 2.5 to 2.84 per 100,000, and between 41 and 83 deaths), with New Jersey, Washington, Missouri, and Oklahoma completing the remainder of the top ten (between 1.49 and 2.33 per 100,000). New Jersey’s 221 deaths (the country’s second-highest raw total) show that a large, densely populated state can also rank highly at a per capita level.

Combined, the ten states represented 1,216 distracted-driving fatalities, 37.9% of the national total of 3,207.

### Distracted Drivers: Raw Totals

By total fatalities, Texas features the highest number of distracted driver fatalities (387), followed by Florida (241), New Jersey (221), Louisiana (220), and California (200). New Mexico (159), Kentucky (145), Washington (138), New York (105), and Missouri (98) make up the remainder of the top ten.

The ten states account for 1,914 deaths, 59.7% of the national total, a much larger top ten total compared to speeding or alcohol-impaired driving.

While states such as Louisiana, New Jersey, and New Mexico appear in both top-ten lists, states with high raw totals like Texas, Florida, and California feature much lower per capita rankings. Florida offers a striking example: its 241 deaths place it second nationally in terms of volume, yet its per capita rate of 1.03 per 100,000 places it just 16th of 51 by that measure.

### Some of the Main Driving Distractions

Driver distraction covers everything from passenger exchanges and eating to switching radio stations or reaching for something, but the main issue in this regard is phone use. AAA’s 2024 Traffic Safety Culture Index found that, over the previous 30 days, 37% of drivers read a message on a handheld phone while driving, 28% sent a text or email, and 11% scrolled social media while behind the wheel.

Yet drivers overwhelmingly recognize the danger. 90% consider reading a message while driving to be extremely or very dangerous, a figure that rises to 94% for sending a text or email and 97% for scrolling social media.

If we compare the two, we can see a striking gap between what drivers believe and how they behave. Although 90% consider reading a message dangerous, 37% still do it: a 53-point gap. For texting or emailing, the gap widens to 66 points (94% vs. 28%), and for social media scrolling it widens further to 86 points (97% vs. 11%).

In other words, the behavior drivers most strongly condemn is also the one they’re least likely to admit doing, and across all three behaviors, danger awareness clearly isn’t stopping the behavior. Such normalized use of a phone behind the wheel presents a strong hook for a targeted campaign built around the gap between what drivers know and what they actually do. 

## Age and Dangerous Driving

In 2024, of all drivers on national roads, those aged between 25 and 34 were the group most involved in fatal speeding, alcohol-impaired, and distracted-driving crashes. They accounted for 2,721 speeding fatalities (26%), 2,982 alcohol-impaired fatalities (26.9%), and 667 distracted-driving fatalities (22.1%), the highest share of any age group across all categories.

Drivers aged between 35 and 44 ranked second across all three categories: 1,817 speeding deaths (17.4%), 2,232 alcohol-impaired deaths (20.2%), and 557 distracted-driving deaths (18.5%).

If we combine the two groups, drivers aged between 25 and 44 accounted for 43.4% of speeding fatalities, 47.1% of alcohol-impaired fatalities, and 40.6% of distracted-driving fatalities.

The pattern changes for older drivers. Those aged over 65 represented just 6.6% of speeding fatalities and 7.8% of alcohol-impaired fatalities, with drivers aged over 75 accounting for just 2.5% of each. Compared with the group aged between 25 and 34, the oldest drivers were involved in speeding fatalities at about one-tenth the rate; for alcohol-impaired fatalities, the rate was around one-eleventh.

For distraction, the age gap is smaller. Drivers aged over 75 accounted for 6.4% of distracted-driving fatalities, meaning the share for those aged between 25 and 34 was 3.4 times higher. This suggests age is a stronger differentiator for speeding and alcohol impairment fatalities than it is for distraction.

Drivers aged 20 and under accounted for 16.2% of speeding fatalities, the third-highest share, and consistent with the high crash risk usually associated with inexperienced drivers. Yet they represented just 8.9% of alcohol-impaired fatalities, partially due to legal drinking-age restrictions.

When it comes to distraction, drivers aged 20 and under accounted for 10.4%, while those aged between 21 and 24 accounted for 9.8%: in both cases, below the levels seen for those aged between 25 and 34 and 35 and 44.

Overall, drivers in their late twenties to early/mid forties represent the highest level of fatal risk regarding speeding, alcohol impairment, and distraction.

Young and newly licensed drivers **do** suffer an elevated crash risk at an individual driver level. That said, the data tells us that a combination of a much larger adult driving population and speeding habits that continue far into middle age means dangerous driving is far from simply a teenage driving issue: it’s one that also affects the adult driving population.

## America’s Nuanced Driving Danger Picture

This study confirms that dangerous driving varies depending on the state in question, with speeding or alcohol impairment the key factor regarding the highest per-capita fatality rates in most states, and distraction the main issue in a few cases. Beyond per capita rates, raw death totals often tell a very different story.

Risk also varies sharply depending on the time of day and the age of a driver, with alcohol impairment peaking between midnight and 3 a.m.; drivers aged between 25 and 44 account for more than two in five fatalities linked to speeding, alcohol impairment, and distraction.

This means that there’s no single profile that encapsulates America’s most dangerous driver. The dominant risk changes by state, behavior, time, and age. As such, location-specific and behavior-specific data can tell us far more than national fatality totals.

“This data confirms what we see in our caseload every year,” said a Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyer spokesperson. “Dangerous driving isn’t limited to a handful of reckless individuals. Instead, it’s a pattern that plays out differently in every state, and the study numbers help to illustrate exactly where drivers and passengers are most at risk.”

We understand how collisions can cause significant injuries, substantial costs, and the devastation of an untimely death. Our team also fully appreciates the frustration that comes with medical bills, lost income, and considerable mental stress.

At Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers, we take pride in helping accident victims face the complicated legal process that follows a serious motor vehicle accident.

Our [car accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale](https://www.floridainjuryadvocate.com/fort-lauderdale/car-accident-lawyer/) have won more than $275 million for past clients, and we’re standing by to hear from you.

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Source: https://www.floridainjuryadvocate.com/research/dangerous-driving-behavior/