More than 46,000 people lost their lives due to motor vehicle accidents in the United States. This data comes from the National Safety Council, a non-profit that tracks accidental deaths throughout the country. America’s roads are becoming safer over the decades as safety features are enhanced in vehicles in addition to improved regulations, but traffic deaths still remain one of the leading causes of death, especially for younger drivers.
24/7 Wall St. ranked the most dangerous roads in each state by calculating the motor vehicle fatality rate per 100,000 residents. The most recent data from National Safety Council in from 2021 and the population estimates are from the U.S. Census Bureau.
In the entire United States, there was 14.2 motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 people up from the previous years 12.9. There are several contributing factors into vehicle accidents, including seat belt use, weather and speed limits to name a few, but fatal accidents are more likely to happen in sparely populated areas than they are in larger cities.
After reviewing each states vehicle fatality numbers in addition to the seat belt usages statistics, 24/7 Wall St. found the 15 states with the most deadly roads.
15. Florida
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 17.9
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 3,906
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 3,515
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 47.7%
14. North Carolina
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 18.2
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 1,923
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 1,771
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 50.2%
13. Kentucky
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 18.2
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 820
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 858
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 54.3%
12. Georgia
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 18.3
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 1,976
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 1,973
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 47.9%
11. Arizona
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 18.8
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 1,369
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 1,041
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 52.4%
10. South Dakota
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 19.3
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 173
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 153
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 67.1%
9. Tennessee
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 20.5
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 1,428
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 1,265
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 52.7%
8. Oklahoma
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 20.7
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 827
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 717
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 53.8%
7. Alabama
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 21
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 1,058
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 983
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 59.4%
6. Louisiana
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 22.2
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 1,028
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 853
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 59.8%
5. New Mexico
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 22.3
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 472
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 421
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 57.5%
4. South Carolina
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 23.7
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 1,923
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 1,115
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 55.5%
3. Arkansas
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 24.2
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 731
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 683
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 53.9%
2. Montana
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 24.4
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 269
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 193
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 62.4%
1. Mississippi
> Motor Vehicle Deaths per 100,000 People: 29.4
> Total Vehicle Deaths in the State: 867
> Total Vehicle Deaths the Previous Year: 843
> Pct. of Deaths With No Seat Belt Used: 51.5%
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