Davidoff Law Personal Injury Lawyers conducted a study, aimed to determine which states pose the highest dangers for teen drivers in the US. The research evaluates key indicators, including total fatal crashes, fatal crashes involving young drivers, and teen driver fatalities. In addition, the study examines road quality, the percentage of traffic fatalities caused by young drivers, and vehicles in fatal crashes driven by young drivers per 10,000 vehicles. The final Risk Score was calculated based on the weighted sum of these factors, with higher scores indicating greater danger for young drivers and emphasizing the need for enhanced safety measures.
| State | Road Rank | Teen Fatalities per 10K Licenses | % Fatal Crashes Caused by Teens | Teen Fatal Crashes per 10K Vehicles | Risk Score |
| Kentucky | 20 | 32.7 | 12.6 | 0.41 | 98.8 |
| Delaware | 16 | 12.1 | 19.6 | 0.50 | 97.2 |
| Arkansas | 44 | 17.4 | 13.0 | 0.51 | 96.2 |
| Nebraska | 40 | 10.4 | 19.2 | 0.41 | 91.5 |
| New Mexico | 26 | 18.0 | 11.9 | 0.49 | 87.4 |
| Alaska | 32 | 12.4 | 14.7 | 0.45 | 85.9 |
| Mississippi | 45 | 15.1 | 11.0 | 0.45 | 83.6 |
| Louisiana | 48 | 13.4 | 11.9 | 0.42 | 82.1 |
| Arizona | 35 | 15.3 | 12.3 | 0.40 | 81.6 |
| Texas | 36 | 13.3 | 13.5 | 0.37 | 80.9 |
Read the full research here.
The most dangerous state in the US for teen drivers is Kentucky, with a risk score of 98.8. Though the state has a promising road infrastructure quality, its impact is diminished with the teen fatality rate of 32.7– the highest among all states analyzed.
Delaware ranks second in the list, with a risk score of 97.2. Although high-quality roads are ensured in this state, it stands out with the highest 19.6% of fatal crashes with teen driver involvement among all analyzed states, emphasizing strong risk and lack of safety for teens.
With an over 96.2 risk score, Arkansas takes the third spot on the list. The state has a 17.4 rate for fatal accidents involving teen drivers, which is the third-highest recorded number among all the states analyzed. Furthermore, the road ranking is yet another major issue in Arkansa,s with a value of 44.
Nebraska lands fourth, having a risk score of 91.5. In this state, 19.2% of all traffic deaths were caused by young drivers, which is the second highest recorded number of young driver loss after Kentucky on the first spot.
New Mexico ranks last, closing the top 5 states as the most dangerous for teenage drivers. This state has 18 rates for teen fatalities carrying legal licenses, which is the second-highest across the states included in the study, influencing New Mexico’s composite risk score of 87.4.
With a risk score of 85.9, Alaska takes the sixth spot. In this state, with over 20k young drivers, 14.7% of them were involved in accidents leading to deadly outcomes. This significant number of deaths is aligned with lower road infrastructure quality, increasing the risk in the state for teen drivers.
Mississippi comes seventh in the list, with an 83.6 risk score. The road infrastructure quality in this state is the second-worst, with a value of 45. Additionally, the 15.1 rate is recorded for teen fatal cases among young drivers with legal licenses, higher than that in Alaska.
The seventh place is taken by Louisiana, holding a risk score of 82.1. The state stands out with the worst road infrastructure quality among all the states analyzed, with a value of 48. Furthermore, the rate of teen fatal traffic cases among registered vehicles is 13.4, influencing the final composite score.
Arizona jumps to ninth place in the list with an 81.6 risk score. In Arizona, among 170k young drivers, 12.3% of them appeared in traffic accidents with deadly outcomes, surpassing the rate recorded in Louisiana. Even so, road ranking here has better quality compared to that in Louisiana, explaining Arizona’s overall lower risk score.
The list of states closes with Texas ranking as the tenth most dangerous state for teenage drivers in the US, with a risk score of 80.9. In Texas, 13.5% of young drivers were involved in fatal crashes. Its tenth place is explained by a 0.37 rate for teen fatal accidents among all the registered cars, which is the lowest compared to all the states included in the study.
