Skip to main content

A new study reveals which states have the worst (and best) drivers in America. Based on several pretty essential categories, the study shows that drivers in one state in particular, North Dakota, are hands-down the most problematic.

Drivers in North Dakota have both the highest DUI rates and the highest speeding-related incident rates in the United States. (This, apparently, is not a new problem there.) In 2025, North Dakota recorded 3.7 DUIs per 1,000 drivers, the most of any state. Also, through September, North Dakota had 11.9 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers – the only state above 10.0.

The study, conducted by LendingTree, found that overall in 2025 through September, North Dakota had 64.0 incidents (including accidents, DUIs, speeding, and citations) per 1,000 drivers. Drivers in New Jersey (58.8) and Utah (54.6) were the second worst in the country over that same time span.

New Jersey had 31.5 accidents per 1,000 drivers – the only state above 30.0. Utah had the second-highest speeding-related incident rate with 9.4 speeding-related incidents per 1,000. Vermont, with 7.7 speeding-related incidents per 1,000, came in third.

Rhode Island, at 29.0 accidents per 1,000 drivers, and California, at 28.1, were the second and third-most accident-prone states in America. While California, with 3.5 DUIs per 1,000 drivers, and Minnesota, at 2.8, finished second and third, respectively, in that troubling category.

Rounding out the 10 worst drivers by state overall were Rhode Island, Washington, Maine, Idaho, California, Montana, and North Carolina. The District of Columbia would have ranked eighth if it were considered to be a state.

Michigan has the best drivers in America, according to the study

On the flip side, Michigan has the best drivers in America, with just 20.9 incidents per 1,000 drivers. It also has the lowest accident rate. Florida, at 23.1 incidents per 1,000, and Colorado, at 23.7, were second and third-best.

Colorado (11.7 accidents per 1,000 drivers) and Florida (11.9) also scored well in the study. When it comes to DUI rates, Florida, with just 0.4 DUIs per 1,000, was the best. Illinois, Mississippi, and West Virginia tied for the next lowest, at 0.6.

Interestingly, New Jersey, which had the highest number of accidents per 1,000 drivers, had the lowest rates of speeding-related incidents, with just 0.2 per 1,000. Massachusetts (0.3) and New York (0.4) came in second and third in that category.

Overall, the best of the rest were Connecticut, Illinois, Texas, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Missouri.

Best in Tips, Tricks & Trends
MotorBiscuit Senior Editor

Doug Sheckler

Doug Sheckler is a Senior Editor at MotorBiscuit and BroBible. He began his professional career working for an auto racing sanctioning body, and subsequently founded his own racing series, which remains in operation today. He has since spent the better part of two decades creating, editing, and writing for a variety of websites.

These days, he has a special affinity for hypercars and other exotic vehicles that he will never own. He also enjoys delving into stories about the world of criminals, the more foolish and/or clever the better, and is always up for a good conspiracy theory. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Iowa.

Want more news like this? Add MotorBiscuit as a preferred source on Google!
Preferred sources are prioritized in Top Stories, ensuring you never miss any of our editorial team's hard work.
Add as preferred source on Google
Latest in Category