Top States for Road Safety Progress After the Pandemic

Top States for Road Safety Progress After the Pandemic

• Idaho ranks as the safest state for road travel, with the most improvement since the pandemic
• The state reduced crash fatalities, improved cyclist and passenger safety, and eliminated crashes at “other locations”
• The top ten states for road safety improvements since the pandemic are: ID, WV, OK, PA, NE, MD, HI, NC, WI, and OH

A new study has revealed that Idaho is now the safest state for road travel, showing significant improvement since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conducted by personal injury lawyers at Whitley Law Firm, the study analysed data from 2019 to the end of 2022, sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, US Census Bureau, and the Department of Transportation. The research examined 14 key road safety factors, such as crash statistics, alcohol-related incidents, and pedestrian safety. Each factor was standardised and weighted to determine which states had the greatest improvement in reducing on-road fatalities and crashes.

Idaho leads the ranking with a final score of 83.93 out of 100. The state shows dramatic improvements in reducing crash-related fatalities (-4.0%, from 2.86 to 2.74 per 100,000 people) and enhanced safety for cyclists and passengers (-100%, from 0.29 to 0.00, and -7.2%, from 7.94 to 7.37 per 100,000 people, respectively). The state also recorded a -100% reduction in crashes at “other locations”—a category that includes incidents in unreported, unknown, or non-inventoried areas—, further highlighting its focus on road safety.

West Virginia ranks second with a score of 77.98 out of 100. The state reported a 4.5% improvement in rural crash safety, with crashes dropping dramatically from 8.7 per 100,000 population in 2019 to just 0.6 per 100,000 in 2022. Drug-related crashes also decreased by 35.3% (from 1.88 to 1.22 per 100,000), while pedestrian deaths dropped by -34.4% (from 1.77 in 2019 to 1.16 per 100,000 people in 2022), making the state significantly safer for vulnerable road users.

Oklahoma is in third place with a score of 75.14 out of 100. The state achieved a 48.5% reduction in alcohol-related crashes (from 3.30 to 1.70 per 100,000 people) and a 69% decrease in drug-related crashes (from 1.80 to 0.56 per 100,000 people). Additionally, crashes in “other locations” were entirely eliminated, with no incidents reported in 2022 compared to 0.03 per 100,000 in 2019.

Pennsylvania comes in fourth with a final score of 74.07 out of 100. The state saw a 50% reduction in crashes at “other locations” (from 0.05 to 0.02 per 100,000 people) and a 10.8% decline in alcohol-related crashes (from 1.95 to 1.73 per 100,000 people). However, urban crash counts rose by 26.6%, increasing from 4.02 per 100,000 people in 2019 to 5.09 in 2022.

Nebraska rounds out the top five with a score of 73.49 out of 100. Notable improvements include a 10.3% reduction in rural crashes and the elimination of cyclist deaths (from 0.05 per 100,000 people in 2019 to 0 in 2022). However, reductions in crashes caused by alcohol and drugs were more modest, decreasing by 3.9% (from 2.65 to 2.54 per 100,000 people) and 5.9% (from 0.88 to 0.83 per 100,000 people), respectively.

Maryland, Hawaii, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Ohio occupy positions six to 10 with scores ranging from 72.53 to 70.75.

Among these, Maryland saw a reduction in crashes in rural areas of 75.2% (from 1.81 to 0.45 per 100,000 people), while North Carolina and Wisconsin saw their crash count in “other locations” reduced by 100% (from 0.03 per 100,000 people to 0) and 83.3% (from 0.10 to 0.02 per 100,000 people), respectively.

A spokesperson for Whitley Law Firm commented on the findings: “These findings highlight significant progress in road safety across several states, with notable reductions in specific areas like alcohol-related incidents and pedestrian fatalities.

“The data also underscores the complexity of road safety improvements, as some metrics, such as urban crash counts and drug-related incidents, have risen in certain states. While states like Idaho and West Virginia show exemplary strides in overall safety, the variation in outcomes across metrics suggests a need for targeted strategies tailored to each state’s unique challenges.”

ENDS

If using the story, please credit and link to https://whitleylawfirm.com/

Sources:

• NHTSA – Crash data
• United States Census Bureau – State Population Totals and Components of Change: 2010-2019
• United States Census Bureau – State Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023
• US Department of Transportation – Motor Vehicle Registrations, by vehicle type and state

Methodology:

1. A total of fourteen factors were used to compile the index (see Table 1 below).
2. The raw data for each factor was cleaned, checked and standardized on the same scale from 0 to 10, where 0 and 10 represent the worst and best values present in the data, to allow for accurate comparison between factors. Factors for which a high score would be negative were subtracted from 10 to invert their scoring.
3. A weighting was then assigned to each factor reflecting its importance within the analysis. The factors, their source and their percentage weightings are shown below.
4. Once the weightings were assigned, the total score for the factors was calculated, producing an overall index score out of 100 for each entry, upon which the final ranking is based.

Table 1 (factors and weightings)

Table 2 (full percentage increases/decreases)

Table 2 (data per 100,000 people, 2019)

Table 2 (data per 100,000 people, 2022)

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Author: David Keech

David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]