Oklahoma Cracks Top 10 for Nation’s Worst Drivers

It is a dubious distinction that no state wants to claim.

Oklahoma ranked among the 10 states with the worst drivers, according to a recent analysis by CarInsuranceComparison.com, a website that allows visitors to compare auto insurance companies.

Driving behavior was analyzed state-by-state based on a number of factors such as fatalities per miles travelled, fatal accidents caused by failure to follow traffic laws, deadly crashes involving impaired drivers, high speed accidents, and collisions caused by careless drivers, according to a USA Today article.

Montana and South Carolina tied for the worst drivers in the U.S. while Minnesota drivers had the best overall ranking.

Top 10 States with Worst Drivers:

1. Montana – tie
2. South Carolina – tie
3. Texas
4. North Dakota
5. Delaware
6. Louisiana
7. Nevada
8. Hawaii
9. Oklahoma
10. Missouri

Oklahoma drivers were the worst offenders nationally for failure to obey traffic laws and cause severe car crashes, the main reason Oklahoma ranked ninth on the CarInsuranceComparison.com website. OK drivers also rated high in fatalities.

Many Oklahoma drivers are very safety conscious. But drivers who disregard traffic laws make the roads dangerous for all of us. As personal injury attorneys in Oklahoma City, we see firsthand the harm that dangerous drivers cause many families. We are committed to helping those who have been injured by unsafe drivers obtain justice so they can move forward with their lives.

Sooner State drivers ranked 9^th most dangerous based on these statistics:

Fatalities

• Crash deaths rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 1.48, 9^th worst

Failure to Obey

• Percentage of fatal crashes with traffic safety devices involved: 35.74 percent, ranking 1^st
• Percentage of fatal crashes when seat belts not used: 36.10, 9^th place
• Percentage of fatal crashes involving drivers with invalid license: 20 percent, ranking 13^th
• Traffic safety device, seat belt and invalid driver licensed categories combined: ranking 1^st

Drunk Driving

• Total fatalities including non-alcohol related: 708
• Fatalities with blood-alcohol content of .08 percent or greater: 205, ranking 20^th
• Fatalities with blood-alcohol content .01 to .07 percent: 32, 4.52 percent, ranking 20^th
• Combined rank with blood-alcohol content of .01 percent or greater, ranking 32^nd

Speeding

• Speed-related fatalities: 218 of the 708 total deaths, 30.79 percent, ranking 32^nd

Careless driving

• Pedestrians killed: 65
• Bicyclists killed: 5
• Population: 3,815,000
• Pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000: 1.7
• Bicyclist fatality rate per 100,000: .13
• Total pedestrians and bicyclist rate: 1.83, ranking 14^th

Interestingly enough, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas which are clustered in the middle of the country, all ranked in the top 10 for the nation’s worst drivers. That could be because of long stretches of interstate or rural driving.

If you are involved in a wreck, contact an experienced car-crash attorney. Let us help you determine if you can file a claim and explain how we handle car accident cases. After a serious car accident, you’ll need someone to guide you through the legal system, negotiate with insurance companies and help you obtain the best compensation possible to cover medical bills and other expenses. Don’t let a dangerous driver ruin your life.