Michael Sivak, a researcher at the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, has analyzed federal traffic data, and found a wide difference in the fatality rates due to traffic accidents across the different U.S. states.
Motorists in Massachusetts and Washington DC have the lowest chance of dying in a traffic accident whereas drivers in West Virginia, South Carolina and North Dakota, have the highest.
Sivak looked at the data in two ways; deaths per distance driven and relative to the state population..
In terms of distance, West Virginia has the highest fatality rate in the nation, with 17.63 deaths per billion vehicle miles traveled, more than four times the rate of deaths found in the District of Columbia, where there are only 4.2 deaths per billion vehicle miles traveled. The national average is 11.3 fatalities per billion vehicle miles traveled.
In terms of death per population, Washington DC has a fatality rate of 2.37 per 100,000 people whereas the worst state is North Dakota, where people are more than 10 times more likely to die, with a per-100,000-population rate of 24.3. The national average is 10.69 deaths per 100,000.
Overall, residents of the Northern Plains states and South have the worst fatality rates with Oklahoma, Mississippi, North Dakota, West Virginia, South Carolina and Montana all ranked in the bottom 10 on both lists.
If you, or someone you know, have been injured in a serious car accident in South Carolina, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Please contact us today at (864) 280-7660 or contact us online, so we can schedule your free initial consultation and get you on you the financial compensation you deserve.
