What Are The Safest And Least Safe US Cities for Driving?

GoodHire analyzed the most recent traffic density and driving age data from government agencies. Let’s take a look at the key findings to learn more about the safest and least safe cities for driving in America.

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When interviewing for key roles at your company, reviewing a candidate’s driving records can prove to be an important step in the hiring process. Reviewing driving records may be even more valuable when hiring for positions in which employees will operate motor vehicles as part of their responsibilities. Specifically, an MVR check provides reliable data to help employers evaluate a candidate’s driving history. 

Driving records may also assist employers in creating a safe environment on the road, protecting both the employee and the company, mitigating overall risk, upholding a top-of-the-line company reputation, and safeguarding against liability claims and higher insurance costs. 

To help businesses understand the importance of proper MVR checks, the aforementioned driving record data, and how safety on the roads can impact both employees and employers, GoodHire analyzed driving data to uncover the safest place for drivers in each US state. 

To conduct the analysis, GoodHire reviewed data from the United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (USDOT), the Office of Highway Policy Information, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer.  

Now, let’s get into the key findings to learn more about the safest US states for driving.

The Safest States For Driving

The graphic above shows the safest states for driving in America. The data shows these states are all highly rated for key safe driving metrics — DUIs, average driving age, average daily traffic, fatal crash rate, and fatality rate change since 2010. The states that rank highly may be viewed as exceptional places for those looking for a safe area to drive for business and personal reasons.

To start, Utah ranks as the overall safest state in America for driving, showcasing top 10 ranks for the lowest number of DUIs, lowest fatal crash rate, and highest fatality rate change since 2010. Utah also ranks in the top 25 for daily traffic rate and inside the top 10 for average driving age. 

Following Utah and rounding out the top 10 are Massachusetts, New York, Hawaii, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Ohio, Alaska, Iowa, and North Dakota. 

The data also reveals the states falling just outside of the top 10, which include New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, North Carolina, and Maryland. 

Now, let’s take a look at the other end of the spectrum — the most dangerous states for driving in America, according to our data analysis. 

The Least Safe States For Driving

The graphic above shows the most dangerous states for driving in America using the same key metrics. 

First, Mississippi takes the last spot in the entire country as the most dangerous state for driving. Mississippi ranks outside of the top 40 for fatal crash rate, average driving age, and DUIs. Additionally, the state ranks outside of the top 10 for average daily traffic, and outside the top 30 for fatality rate change since 2010. Based on all key metrics, Mississippi can be quite dangerous for drivers traveling on the roads for work or for personal reasons. 

Following Mississippi on the most dangerous states for driving list are Oregon, South Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Arizona, South Dakota, California, Tennessee, Kansas, and Maine. 

Just outside the most dangerous states top 10 list are Michigan, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kentucky, and Montana.  

Next, let’s take a look at some key individual metrics that make up a safe driving environment and which states stand out from the rest. 

Key Safety Metrics: DUIs, Fatal Crashes, Daily Traffic

When it comes to a safe state for driving, three metrics stand out as most important — DUIs, fatal crashes, and average daily traffic. 

Driving under the influence or being in control of a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs is a leading cause of accidents on the road and responsible for more than 10,000 deaths every year in the US and about one-third of all traffic-related deaths, according to the NHTSA.

So, how do the states rank?

As shown in the graphic above, Delaware leads the way as the state with the least amount of DUIs per 1,000 people, followed by Ohio, Louisiana, Florida, and Massachusetts. Rounding out the top 10 are North Carolina, Utah, South Carolina, Connecticut, and Arkansas. 

The next key metric is the fatal crash rate. Fatal crashes are defined as death as a result of an injury sustained in a crash and were responsible for more than 40,000 deaths nationwide in 2021. When it comes to the states with the lowest rates of fatal crashes, according to our analysis, Massachusetts lands in the top spot, followed by Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Utah, Hawaii, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, and Rhode Island. 

Last, it’s no surprise that average daily traffic has a significant impact on driving safety. To better understand this, GoodHire uncovered the states with the lowest average daily traffic. The top spot for this key driving safety metric goes Montana, followed by North Dakota, Alaska, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Vermont, West Virginia, New Mexico, and Kansas. 

Driving safety is extremely important for all individuals on the road and should not be overlooked by corporations and small businesses, especially during the hiring process. A proper MVR check can positively impact hiring decisions and protect employees and businesses alike.

The Full List Of The Safest US States For Driving

Lastly, let’s take a look at the full rundown of the safest states for driving, along with the overall safety scores — a lower score means a safer state for driving. 

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Safest Cities Ranking	City	Violent Crime Rank	Property Crime Rank	Society Crime Rank	Safety Score
1	Cary, NC	1	1	2	1.2
2	McKinney, TX	7	2	3	4.2
3	St. Paul, MN	4	6	13	6.6
4	Frisco, TX	2	3	25	7.0
5	Sterling Heights, MI	14	4	1	7.4
6	Pearland, TX	8	7	40	14.0
7	Surprise, AZ	11	5	47	15.8
8	Alexandria, VA	17	21	7	16.6
9	El Paso, TX	18	8	37	17.8
10	Laredo, TX	28	9	18	18.4
11	Plano, TX	6	12	67	20.6
12	Overland Park, KS	16	26	24	21.6
13	Virginia Beach, VA	15	13	57	22.6
14	Madison, WI	10	43	15	24.2
15	Gilbert, AZ	12	10	80	24.8
16	Grand Prairie, TX	9	18	72	25.2
17	Richardson, TX	3	15	91	25.4
18	Bridgeport, CT	44	20	6	26.8
19	Bellevue, WA	5	56	16	27.6
20	Warren, MI	34	14	43	27.8
21	Olathe, KS	26	11	68	28.4
22	Boise, ID	19	19	69	29.0
23	Mesa, AZ	22	16	77	30.6
24	Norman, OK	20	46	21	30.6
25	Fort Worth, TX	35	33	19	31.0
26	Garland, TX	27	28	46	31.2
27	Providence, RI	32	42	9	31.4
28	Worcester, MA	42	37	4	32.4
29	Raleigh, NC	31	17	66	32.4
30	Brownsville, TX	48	23	20	32.4
31	Pasadena, TX	41	25	44	35.2
32	Boston, MA	60	29	11	37.8
33	Charleston, SC	29	31	73	38.6
34	Cedar Rapids, IA	21	55	59	42.2
35	Colorado Springs, CO	24	64	41	43.4
36	Portland, OR	25	80	8	43.6
37	Grand Rapids, MI	73	22	29	43.8
38	Thornton, CO	33	58	42	44.8
39	Salem, OR	13	89	23	45.4
40	Reno, NV	52	47	30	45.6
41	Irving, TX	30	45	84	46.8
42	Richmond, VA	36	53	58	47.2
43	Columbia, MO	54	36	56	47.2
44	Hampton, VA	39	40	83	48.2
45	Mesquite, TX	45	57	38	48.4
46	Athens-Clarke County, GA	72	35	33	49.4
47	Eugene, OR	23	84	35	49.8
48	Abilene, TX	75	24	55	50.6
49	Lexington, KY	46	51	60	50.8
50	Chesapeake, VA	53	27	97	51.4
51	Seattle, WA	38	90	5	52.2
52	Kent, WA	37	87	14	52.4
53	Norfolk, VA	58	38	75	53.4
54	Austin, TX	59	62	26	53.6
55	Oklahoma City, OK	40	76	36	53.6
56	Arlington, TX	66	34	70	54.0
57	Dallas, TX	64	49	49	55.0
58	Denver, CO	43	78	34	55.2
59	Aurora, CO	61	66	22	55.2
60	Wilmington, NC	50	44	92	56.0
61	Durham, NC	56	71	27	56.2
62	Sioux Falls, SD	57	48	71	56.2
63	Waco, TX	62	54	51	56.6
64	Vancouver, WA	63	75	10	57.2
65	Clarksville, TN	68	32	100	60.0
66	Indianapolis, IN	70	52	64	61.6
67	Charlotte, NC	65	63	52	61.6
68	Fayetteville, NC	71	70	28	62.0
69	Newport News, VA	76	30	98	62.0
70	Tacoma, WA	55	96	12	62.8
71	West Valley, UT	51	59	95	63.0
72	Milwaukee, WI	81	39	79	63.8
73	Des Moines, IA	74	72	39	66.2
74	Columbia, SC	49	86	62	66.4
75	Kansas City, MO	84	74	17	66.6
76	Springfield, MA	94	50	50	67.6
77	Murfreesboro, TN	83	41	90	67.6
78	Corpus Christi, TX	79	61	74	70.8
79	Fargo, ND	69	60	96	70.8
80	Minneapolis, MN	67	88	45	71.0
81	Houston, TX	87	77	31	71.8
82	Lakewood, CO	47	92	86	72.8
83	Amarillo, TX	86	65	65	73.4
84	Knoxville, TN	77	67	88	75.2
85	Greensboro, NC	82	69	87	77.8
86	Albuquerque, NM	78	93	48	78.0
87	Spokane, WA	80	99	32	78.0
88	Rockford, IL	95	73	54	78.0
89	Dayton, OH	89	68	85	79.8
90	Nashville, TN	85	81	82	82.8
91	Detroit, MI	97	82	61	83.8
92	Lubbock, TX	88	85	76	84.4
93	New Haven, CT	92	79	89	86.2
94	Cleveland, OH	100	91	53	87.0
95	Akron, OH	96	83	78	87.2
96	Little Rock, AR	99	98	63	91.4
97	Memphis, TN	98	94	81	93.0
98	Chattanooga, TN	91	95	99	94.2
99	Springfield, MO	93	97	93	94.6
100	Salt Lake City, UT	90	100	94	94.8

For more information on GoodHire’s research or to request graphics from this study, please contact press@goodhire.com.  

REPORT Methodology

To rank America’s safest states for driving, GoodHire analyzed the most recent traffic density and driving age data from the United States Department of Transportation’s (US DOT) Federal Highway Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) fatal crash data, and the FBI Crime Data Explorer’s DUI arrest data. All states were ranked for each of the five factors — fatal crashes (per 100 million vehicle miles traveled), DUIs (per 1,000 people), average weighted daily traffic per lane, fatality rate change, and driving age percentages — then given a total driving safety score based on their weighted sum of the ranks. Fatal crash rate and DUIs were assigned a 25% weight, traffic density was assigned a 20% weight, and fatality rate increase and driving age were assigned a 15% weight.

About GoodHire

GoodHire’s background check platform makes screening easier and more efficient, so you can hire faster. The platform’s integrated compliance features, intuitive workflows, and automated processes help simplify a complex process to give you peace of mind. GoodHire is an accredited, FCRA-compliant employment screening provider. We offer 200+ employment screening services, including:

• Criminal Background Checks: Using criminal background checks as part of your hiring process helps you assess any risks associated with bringing on someone with a criminal record and make an informed decision—before hiring them. 
• Driving Record (MVR) Checks: Reviewing your candidate’s driving records and safety data is important for positions where employees, volunteers, or contractors will operate motor vehicles for business purposes. 
• Employment Verifications: Verifying your candidate’s work history helps you make informed decisions and instills confidence that you’re hiring the most trustworthy, qualified candidates for the positions you need to fill.

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