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States with the highest traffic fatality rates

By Butler Prather LLP on December 9, 2016

Georgia residents may be happy to learn that they do not live in one of the top 10 most dangerous states to drive in. A study on traffic fatalities in each state found that in 2014, Wyoming was the most dangerous state to drive in, with 25.7 car accident deaths per 100,000 people. Wyoming was followed by Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Alabama, South Dakota and Louisiana.

Researchers from 24/7 Wall St. conducted the study by analyzing 2014 crash data that was collected by the Federal Highway Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The number of traffic fatalities in each state was adjusted for population size. Researchers also looked at the car accident factors that contributed to the number of fatalities in 2014. Some of these factors included failure to wear seat belts, drunk driving and rural roads.

Rural roads can often be more dangerous than roads in populated areas. Researchers believe that drivers in rural areas tend to disobey the speed limits and drive more recklessly than drivers in cities. States with the highest traffic fatality rates also tended to have some of the nation’s lowest rates of seat belt use. Drunk driving is a factor in many traffic fatalities, and almost one-third of drivers who died in car crashes in 2014 were legally intoxicated.

Motor vehicle accidents can happen for a variety of reasons, including inclement weather or bad road surfaces. However, most are caused by human factors, and a person who has been injured in a collision that was the result of another driver’s negligence might want to have legal assistance when pursuing compensation for out-of-pocket medical expenses, lost wages and other applicable amounts.

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