Automotive accidents cause untold amounts of damage, cost millions of dollars, and, unfortunately, take many lives year after year. Some states have it worse than others, especially if they have larger populations and thriving cities. There’s a wealth of data on accidents and tickets, so much so that a finance company called SmartAsset compiled a list with it. This list names the ten worst states in this regard, drawing on important metrics like fatalities and insured drivers. Unfortunately for Arizona, it ranks on that list.
Out of ten, Arizona ranks 9th, tied with Alaska. In the 2018 study, about 88% of Arizona drivers were insured, but there about 4 DUI arrests for every 1,000 drivers and 1.46 deaths for every 100 million miles driven. Compare this with a state like Maryland, ranked 32nd, which had almost 93% insurance rates, about 4 DUIs and about 0.85 deaths. Arizona’s most defining statistic on the list was the mortality rate, which was the reason it made it to the top ten.
Mississippi takes the number one slot, followed by Tennessee, with Missouri, California, and New Mexico tied for third. Other states like Florida and Alabama are on the list as well. But Arizona wasn’t always on the list. For both the 2016 and 2017 reports Arizona was absent from the top ten.
Their data-gathering rubric was very complex, and it involved pulling information from a variety of sources like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, FBI, as well as data from Google. These were all compiled and weighted against each other, with the averages placing them from highest to lowest on the list.
It’s not all terrible though, as the SmartAsset website notes that the mortality rate is dropping, “Since 1994, the fatality rate per miles driven has fallen 37%.” The website strongly suggests having a savings account with a decent amount of money in the event of an accident, as well as financial planning help. As long as Arizona drivers practice safe driving techniques, the number should decline and make the roads of the Grand Canyon State a much safer place.
