Use this list of car accidents by state to see your risk on local roadways. Find out what insurers are paying for auto claims where you live.

Driving is one of the most dangerous methods of transportation. High speeds, large trucks, and impaired motorists all make getting behind the wheel a big risk.

Your risk from a car accident differs depending on where you live.

As you’ll see in this article, a motorist in Mississippi is much more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash than a driver in Washington, D.C. or New York.

This list of car accidents by state presents recent, publicly available numbers to help you understand your risk of injury or death on American roadways.

We also provide the latest information on the amounts auto insurance companies are paying for vehicle accidents throughout the country.

The List of Car Accidents by State

If traffic safety were the same throughout the United States, you would find roughly the same number of car crashes everywhere. There would be about the same level of damages per person across Texas, Minnesota, and New Jersey. More crowded states would have more accidents, but the percentage of fatal crashes would be about the same.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tells a very different story. The NHTSA tracks fatal motor vehicle crashes in every state, along with several adjacent factors. 

The statistics show an interesting mix of factors related to traffic accidents and fatalities. The factors show less of a relationship between population and fatal accidents than you would expect.

In 2018, there were approximately 6,734,000 car accidents in the United States, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III). Of those crashes, 4,807,000 only caused property damage, not personal injury, and 1,894,000 involved non-fatal injuries. 

The NHTSA numbers specifically break out the fatal accident statistics by state, which are compiled and presented below with information from the III.

The relevant factors for this list of car accidents by state:

1. Number of fatal car accidents
   
2. Fatality rate per 100,000 people
   

Reliable, recent information regarding filed lawsuits for motor vehicle accidents across all states and courts was not available. This is due to the number of different state and federal courts around the country.

The states are sorted by the number of fatal accidents per 100,000 people.

	State	Fatal traffic accidents, 2018	Fatal accidents per 100,000 people, 2018
1	Mississippi	664	22.23
2	South Carolina	1,037	20.40
3	Alabama	953	19.5
4	Wyoming	111	19.21
5	New Mexico	391	18.66
6	Montana	182	17.13
7	Arkansas	516	17.12
8	Oklahoma	655	16.61
9	Louisiana	768	16.48
10	West Virginia	294	16.28
11	Kentucky	724	16.2
12	Tennessee	1,041	15.38
13	Missouri	921	15.03
14	South Dakota	130	14.74
15	Florida	3,133	14.71
16	Georgia	1,504	14.3
17	Arizona	1,010	14.08
18	Kansas	404	13.88
19	North Carolina	1,437	13.84
20	North Dakota	105	13.81
21	Idaho	231	13.17
22	Indiana	858	12.82
23	Texas	3,642	12.69
24	Oregon	506	12.07
25	Nebraska	230	11.92
26	Delaware	111	11.48
27	Colorado	632	11.1
28	Nevada	330	10.88
29	Vermont	68	10.86
30	Alaska	80	10.85
31	New Hampshire	147	10.84
32	Maine	137	10.24
33	Wisconsin	588	10.11
34	Iowa	318	10.08
35	Michigan	974	9.7
36	Virginia	820	9.63
37	Pennsylvania	1,190	9.29
38	Ohio	1,068	9.14
39	California	3,563	9.01
40	Maryland	501	8.29
41	Hawaii	117	8.24
42	Connecticut	294	8.23
43	Utah	260	8.22
44	Illinois	1,031	8.09
45	Washington	546	7.25
46	Minnesota	381	6.79
47	New Jersey	564	6.33
48	Rhode Island	59	5.58
49	Massachusetts	360	5.22
50	New York	943	4.83
51	D.C.	31	4.41

NHTSA does not track state statistics for non-fatal automobile accidents. There is data, however, showing where the heaviest insurance losses occur. The table below shows total insurance losses in each state, ranked according to the amount of losses in proportion to the 2019 population. So, South Dakota had the highest total incurred insurance losses proportionally, and Hawaii had the lowest.

	State	Total incurred insurance losses (including injury and property damage), adjusted for 2019 population
1	South Dakota	$2,227,477
2	North Dakota	$1,850,490
3	Montana	$2,123,593
4	Nebraska	$3,632,370
5	Florida	$36,870,506
6	Delaware	$1,575,961
7	Wyoming	$919,249
8	Colorado	$8,800,495
9	New Jersey	$13,470,081
10	Louisiana	$6,888,509
11	New York	$28,392,877
12	Connecticut	$4,967,377
13	Kansas	$4,012,555
14	Texas	$39,462,827
15	Georgia	$14,298,049
16	Illinois	$16,998,439
17	Rhode Island	$1,363,715
18	Maryland	$7,567,341
19	Pennsylvania	$15,874,888
20	Missouri	$7,615,718
21	Nevada	$3,832,778
22	Arkansas	$3,547,203
23	Michigan	$11,644,625
24	Massachusetts	$8,060,079
25	Oklahoma	$4,614,956
26	Iowa	$3,644,935
27	South Carolina	$5,928,911
28	California	$44,488,554
29	Minnesota	$6,328,775
30	Wisconsin	$6,328,775
31	D.C.	$750,576
32	Vermont	$663,772
33	Kentucky	$4,661,744
34	Mississippi	$3,120,632
35	New Mexico	$2,205,237
36	Oregon	$4,356,292
37	Washington	$7,737,237
38	Alabama	$5,021,062
39	Alaska	$748,428
40	Indiana	$6,780,466
41	Idaho	$1,771,513
42	Virginia	$8,071,714
43	Arizona	$6,937,130
44	West Virginia	$1,699,944
45	North Carolina	$9,827,941
46	Utah	$3,026,937
47	Tennessee	$6,317,565
48	Ohio	$10,673,940
49	Maine	$1,217,021
50	New Hampshire	$1,209,413
51	Hawaii	$1,251,898

More Fatal Accidents in the South and West

The data show that certain parts of the United States fared worse than others. With seven out of the top 10 most dangerous states, the South had the highest proportion of fatal accidents by a wide margin.

The West also fared poorly, with the notable exceptions of Utah (perhaps due to its strict alcohol laws) and California.

California, being the most populous state, had much higher raw numbers than the other states for both fatal accidents and insurance losses, but was among the safer states when adjusted for population. New York, which also has a lot of people, was behind only Washington, D.C., in terms of safety.

Not every high-population state did well, though. Florida, the most populous state in the South, ranked in the top half of dangerous states. Texas fared a bit better, ranking in the middle of the list.

The safest regions of the country appear to be New England and the Mid-Atlantic, which account for over half of the 10 safest states.

Insurance Settlements Are Higher in More Dangerous States

Another interesting pattern emerges from this data when it comes to insurance company payouts. Total insurance losses by property and casualty insurers are higher in the more dangerous states when adjusted for population. For example, the top 20 states on the top chart show losses approximately 8.5% higher than the bottom 20 states.

While it may be tempting to say that the top 20 states just have more lawsuits, the facts do not support that theory. The most dangerous 20 states are mostly rural, while the safest 20 contain huge and litigious population centers like California and New York. 

Given the facts, it’s more likely that higher losses occur in more dangerous states — states where driving results in more fatal accidents.

Be Careful Out There, Wherever You Are

Not all states are equal in terms of car crashes and safety. Some are far deadlier than others and present a greater risk of personal injury.

No matter where you live, you should treat driving as a relatively dangerous method of transportation. Always wear your seat belt, follow the rules of the road, avoid distracted driving, and never drive while drinking.

If you’re involved in an accident anywhere in the United States, call a local attorney for a free consultation. Get the help you need to pursue the injury compensation you deserve.