The worst drivers in the US come from these 10 states

Driving safety is getting more attention nationwide as crash deaths, insurance costs, and reckless driving violations remain stubborn issues in many parts of the country. A 2025 ranking from ConsumerAffairs, published on July 15, used recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and insurance industry sources to identify the 10 states with the worst drivers.

10. Oregon

ConsumerAffairs ranked Oregon No. 10 on its 2025 list of states with the worst drivers, based on metrics including fatal crashes, drunk driving, speeding, and careless driving. The July 15 report placed Oregon in the bottom 10 nationally, using public safety data from federal agencies and insurance-related datasets.

One factor in Oregon’s placement was the share of fatal crashes involving risky behavior, including speeding and impaired driving, according to the study. The report did not say that Oregon led the nation in any single category, but it scored poorly enough across multiple measures to make the list.

For Oregon residents, that means the state is being flagged more for overall road safety patterns than for one isolated issue. The ranking is statewide, and ConsumerAffairs did not release a city-by-city breakdown for places like Portland, Eugene, or Salem.

9. Montana

Montana came in at No. 9 in the ConsumerAffairs 2025 ranking, with the report pointing to a high rate of fatal crashes relative to the number of licensed drivers. The study, released July 15, relied in part on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data measuring deadly crash patterns.

Rural driving conditions are part of the broader context in Montana, where long highway stretches and higher travel speeds can shape crash severity, according to federal transportation data. The ranking itself does not assign blame to geography alone, but it shows Montana performing poorly on safety outcomes compared with most other states.

What is not yet detailed in the published list is which Montana corridors or counties contributed most to the result. The report is statewide, so residents in Billings, Missoula, and Great Falls are seeing a broad safety ranking rather than a local enforcement map.

8. Tennessee

Tennessee ranked No. 8 on the 2025 ConsumerAffairs list, placing it among the 10 worst states for drivers nationwide. The report used a weighted formula built from recent figures on fatal accidents, driving under the influence, speeding-related deaths, and citations for careless driving.

The state has appeared in traffic safety discussions before because of elevated crash totals and insurance concerns, according to federal and industry data cited in the ranking. ConsumerAffairs said Tennessee’s overall score was driven by multiple negative indicators instead of one outlier statistic.

For drivers in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, the ranking does not change any state policy by itself, but it does put Tennessee’s road safety record under a brighter spotlight. The study also does not identify which metro areas had the worst records within the state.

7. North Carolina

North Carolina landed at No. 7 in the 2025 ranking, with ConsumerAffairs citing recent data on fatalities, DUIs, speeding, and other driving violations. The report, published July 15, placed the state in the lower tier based on combined safety and behavior metrics.

The state’s large population and fast-growing metro regions likely shape the volume of crashes reported there, but the ranking is based on rates and weighted indicators, not just raw totals. ConsumerAffairs used comparative state-level data, which means North Carolina performed worse than most of the country on the measures included.

That matters for residents from Charlotte to Raleigh to Greensboro because the result reflects statewide driving conditions, not a single bad year in one city. The report did not publish separate rankings for counties or urban corridors such as I-85 or I-40.

6. South Carolina

South Carolina was ranked No. 6 worst in the country for drivers in the ConsumerAffairs 2025 report. The study drew on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Highway Administration data, along with insurance-related information, to compare states on road safety.

The report indicated South Carolina had serious issues across several categories tied to unsafe driving, including fatal incidents and impairment-related measures. The state has frequently faced scrutiny over traffic deaths in prior federal reporting, and this new list kept it near the bottom nationally.

For people in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, and Myrtle Beach, the ranking is a statewide warning sign rather than a local verdict on one road network. ConsumerAffairs did not release a full breakdown showing which South Carolina regions scored worst inside the study.

5. Delaware

Delaware ranked No. 5 on the 2025 list, giving the small state one of the worst overall driver records in the country, according to ConsumerAffairs. The July 15 study compared all 50 states using fatal crash data, DUI figures, speeding-related deaths, and citation patterns.

Because Delaware has a smaller population than states like Texas or California, its placement stands out more on a rate basis than on total crash volume. That is important because the methodology looked at comparative performance, not simply the largest number of incidents.

For residents in Wilmington, Dover, and Newark, the report signals that Delaware’s road safety problems are significant even without the scale of a larger state. The study did not identify whether coastal summer traffic, commuter routes, or urban roads were the main drivers of the ranking.

4. Colorado

Colorado placed No. 4 in the 2025 ConsumerAffairs ranking, putting it just outside the three worst states for drivers. The report said its scoring model included recent federal data on deadly crashes as well as other indicators tied to dangerous driving behavior.

Colorado’s position reflects broad traffic safety concerns rather than a single category like DUIs alone, according to the study. Federal safety agencies have tracked concerns in western states where speed, mountain travel, and varied road conditions can affect crash outcomes, though ConsumerAffairs ranked Colorado on statewide data only.

For people in Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, and Fort Collins, the ranking means the state is now being grouped with the nation’s weakest driver safety performers. The report did not provide separate scores for urban Front Range drivers versus mountain or rural areas.

3. New Mexico

New Mexico ranked No. 3 worst in the nation in the 2025 ConsumerAffairs study, making it one of the most concerning states in the report. The July 15 release pointed to poor performance across several safety measures, including crash and violation-related data.

The state has long struggled with roadway safety challenges, and federal traffic data has previously shown elevated fatality rates in New Mexico compared with many other states. ConsumerAffairs did not say one issue alone caused the ranking, but the combined score placed the state firmly in the bottom three.

For residents in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and rural parts of the state, the result highlights a broad pattern rather than one isolated hotspot. The published ranking did not include county-level details or a list of the worst highways within New Mexico.

2. Louisiana

Louisiana came in at No. 2, making it the second-worst state for drivers in the ConsumerAffairs 2025 ranking. The study used recent public data covering fatal accidents, impaired driving, speeding, and careless driving to compare risk across the country.

Louisiana’s placement suggests major safety problems across several categories at once, not just a high crash count in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. Insurance costs and traffic risk have been ongoing concerns in the state, and the new ranking adds another data point showing how serious those issues remain.

For Louisiana residents, the list does not announce new penalties or laws, but it does frame the state’s driving environment as one of the riskiest in the nation. ConsumerAffairs did not publish a full local breakdown for parishes, cities, or individual highways.

1. Mississippi

Mississippi ranked No. 1 worst in the nation for drivers in the 2025 ConsumerAffairs report published July 15. That top spot means the state recorded the weakest overall performance in the study’s mix of fatality, DUI, speeding, and careless-driving measures.

According to ConsumerAffairs, Mississippi’s score was the poorest when all categories were weighted together against the other 49 states. Federal traffic safety data has repeatedly shown the state facing serious road safety challenges, and this report put Mississippi at the very bottom of the national comparison.

For drivers in Jackson, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, and smaller communities across the state, the ranking is the clearest sign in this study of a statewide road safety problem. What remains unknown is which local areas contributed most, because the published report did not include a city-by-city or county-by-county table.