These 10 US States Have the Worst Teen Driving Accident Records and the Numbers Aren’t Sobering

Teen driving remains a national safety issue, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that six U.S. teens ages 16 to 19 died every day in motor vehicle crashes in 2022. A state-by-state review of teen crash risk data points to 10 states where the record is especially poor, based on recent fatal crash rates, teen driver deaths, and related traffic safety measures.

Mississippi

Mississippi regularly ranks near the bottom on road safety for younger drivers, and the state posted the highest motor vehicle death rate in the country at 25.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. That broad road safety picture matters for teens because rural roads, lower seat belt use, and higher-speed crashes all raise risk for 16- to 19-year-old drivers.

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety has continued to emphasize seat belt enforcement and graduated driver licensing rules, but a teen-only statewide fatal crash release was not publicly consolidated in one recent annual report. What is confirmed is that Mississippi remains one of the states most often flagged in national safety comparisons involving young drivers and overall traffic deaths.

Wyoming

Wyoming had the second-highest overall motor vehicle death rate in the U.S. in 2022 at 24.7 per 100,000, per IIHS, and teen drivers face added exposure because of long rural travel distances. The state’s small population can make year-to-year teen fatality counts swing sharply, but the per-capita risk remains high in national comparisons.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has repeatedly pointed to speed, impaired driving, and lack of restraint use as major crash factors. Those problems hit novice drivers especially hard, and federal safety data has consistently shown that teen drivers are more likely than older drivers to be involved in fatal crashes tied to speeding.

New Mexico

New Mexico recorded 22.1 motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, one of the highest rates in the country, according to IIHS data. That places the state in the upper tier for roadway risk overall, and younger drivers are part of that picture because first-year drivers already face elevated crash rates nationwide.

State officials in New Mexico have cited impaired driving and rural roadway conditions as recurring concerns in crash reporting. A fully updated public ranking focused only on teen accident counts by state is not always released in a single uniform table, but the available federal and insurance-backed data keeps New Mexico near the top of high-risk lists.

South Carolina

South Carolina posted a motor vehicle death rate of 20.7 per 100,000 in 2022, according to IIHS, putting it among the worst-performing states on road fatalities. For teen drivers, that matters because deadly crashes are more common at night, with peer passengers, and during the first months of solo driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety has tracked hundreds of annual traffic deaths tied to speed and failure to use restraints. The state has not published one single headline number that settles every teen crash comparison, but its overall fatality rate and repeated inclusion in safety analyses place it firmly on this list.

Arkansas

Arkansas reported 22.0 road deaths per 100,000 residents in 2022, per IIHS, a level that keeps it among the highest-risk states for fatal crashes. Teen drivers are affected by the same conditions that drive the state’s broader numbers, including rural highways, limited lighting on some roads, and lower seat belt use in certain counties.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation and state police have both highlighted distracted driving and speeding in safety campaigns. Those issues line up with national teen crash patterns, since NHTSA has long reported that inexperience, distraction, and nighttime driving are central factors in serious crashes involving younger drivers.

Louisiana

Louisiana had a 2022 motor vehicle death rate of 21.2 per 100,000, according to IIHS, placing it in the group of states with the heaviest fatal crash burden. For teen drivers, Louisiana’s combination of impaired driving risk, high-speed roads, and uneven restraint use creates the kind of environment where novice mistakes can turn deadly faster.

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission has repeatedly said occupant protection and impaired driving remain top enforcement priorities. Publicly available teen-specific statewide rankings vary by methodology, but Louisiana appears again and again in analyses built from federal fatal crash records and insurance industry safety data.

Alabama

Alabama recorded 19.5 motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, per IIHS, which kept it above the national average and among the poorer-performing states. That matters for families with teen drivers because the CDC says teen crash risk is highest at ages 16 to 19, especially in the first year after licensing.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has backed graduated licensing and distracted driving awareness, but serious crash exposure remains elevated. Alabama’s road network includes a large rural share, and federal data has long shown that rural fatal crashes often involve higher speeds, delayed emergency response, and lower belt use.

Kentucky

Kentucky’s 2022 road death rate reached 18.1 per 100,000, according to IIHS, making it one of the weaker states on traffic safety by that measure. Teen drivers in Kentucky face a familiar set of risks seen across Appalachia and other rural regions, including narrow roads, night driving, and a greater share of long-distance trips.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet safety messaging has focused on seat belts, sobriety, and speed control. While the state does not always issue a simple annual ranking for teen crashes alone, its fatality rate and recurring road safety concerns place it among the states with the toughest teen driving outcomes.

Missouri

Missouri posted 18.0 motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 residents in 2022, according to IIHS, and that rate kept the state in the higher-risk half of the country. Teen drivers are a concern in Missouri because state and federal safety agencies have repeatedly tied severe crashes to distraction, roadway departure, and failure to buckle up.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has run youth-targeted campaigns around impaired and distracted driving, especially before prom and summer travel periods. Those efforts reflect a clear trend in the data: teen crashes rise when inexperienced drivers combine speed, passengers, or phone distraction on rural and suburban roads.

Tennessee

Tennessee rounded out this list with a 17.6 motor vehicle death rate per 100,000 in 2022, per IIHS, still well above many Northeastern and Pacific Coast states. For teen drivers, the concern is not just one number but a cluster of risks that includes speeding, nighttime driving, and lower experience behind the wheel.

The Tennessee Highway Safety Office has said teen driver education and graduated licensing remain key prevention tools. What residents should take from these rankings is straightforward: the exact order can shift by dataset, but the states with persistently high fatal crash rates tend to expose teen drivers to the greatest danger as well.