A report published by CarInsuranceComparison.com lists Texas as third on their list of states with the worst drivers.
To find each state’s rank, the researchers first collected varying driving and accident statistics from the NHTSA, The American Motorists Association, and MADD. Within each statistic category (fatalities per million miles, driving tickets issued, etc.), the states were ranked 1 to 50 – with 1 being the best (e.g. least tickets) and 50 being the worst. After all the categories were ranked, researches added all of a state’s ranks together. The states were ranked according to the final number.
So how did Texas fare in each category?
| Fatalities Per Million Miles | Ticketing Rank | Drunk | Failure To Obey | Careless | Total Score |
| 35 | 47 | 31 | 38 | 32 | 183 |
That total score of 183 put us in third behind Missouri and Louisiana.
What does this study tell us? Are Texas drivers really that bad?
Unfortunately, there’s really no useful context in this study… so it’s pretty much worthless.
For example:
- Why do so many Texans receive driving tickets? Is it because they commit more Texas offenses or because police enforcement is more stringent than other states? Does Texas have laws other states do not?
- What is the cause of our fatalities per million miles rank? Could it be because Texas is 77% rural and rural driving is considered more dangerous – and the accidents it produces are more severe? How does this compare against Massachusetts which has the lowest fatalities per million miles rank but is only 19% rural? How does emergency response time in rural vs. urban areas impact fatalities?
- Are transportation alternatives addressed? How much access to Texans have to a thriving public transportation system – like people in Boston do?
Bottom line: don’t get down on yourself Texas. This study – while perhaps ammunition for insurance companies to charge higher rates – doesn’t actually provide any useful data.
Nonetheless, drive safely Dallas!
