States With the Most Car Accidents 2023

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) estimates that 42,915 people died in the U.S. in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2021, a 10.5% increase from 38,824 fatalities in 2020.

NHTSA projects that an estimated 31,720 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes from January through September 2021, an increase of approximately 12% from the 28,325 fatalities projected in the first nine months of 2020.

The frequency of car accidents is heavily dependent on where you live. Some states that see severe weather also are more at risk for car accidents and there are more accidents in urban settings than rural ones.

You must take into consideration the number of residents in a state when you look at accident rates. A state as big as California will naturally see more car crashes due to the large number of drivers on the road.

Accidents happen to the best of drivers, so make sure you’re insured sufficiently and drive a safer car. Let’s take a look at some statistics for each state to see which ones have the most and fewest car accidents. Also, you’ll see which mid-size cars are most involved in car crashes.

Car Accidents by State

State	Fatal Car Crashes	Population	Licensed Drivers
Alabama	876	5,024,803	4,042,900
Alaska	69	732,441	518,872
Arizona	916	7,177,986	5,681,495
Arkansas	472	3,012,232	2,153,929
California	3,259	39,499,738	27,005,302
Colorado	588	5,784,308	4,299,447
Connecticut	276	3,600,260	2,508,670
Delaware	104	991,886	829,226
District of Columbia	36	690,093	520,865
Florida	2,915	21,569,932	15,715,373
Georgia	1,407	10,725,800	7,521,750
Hawaii	110	1,451,911	921,547
Idaho	212	1,847,772	1,285,331
Illinois	948	12,785,245	8,225,298
Indiana	774	6,785,644	4,532,708
Iowa	291	3,188,669	2,268,916
Kansas	366	2,935,880	2,004,302
Kentucky	664	4,503,958	2,905,632
Louisiana	768	4,651,203	3,416,648
Maine	128	1,362,280	1,047,893
Maryland	474	6,172,679	4,454,266
Massachusetts	343	7,022,220	4,940,373
Michigan	905	10,067,664	7,026,650
Minnesota	349	5,707,165	4,090,264
Mississippi	597	2,956,870	2,017,111
Missouri	848	6,154,481	4,259,672
Montana	168	1,086,193	826,754
Nebraska	201	1,961,455	1,438,821
Nevada	300	3,114,071	2,056,394
New Hampshire	134	1,377,848	1,060,381
New Jersey	525	9,279,743	6,230,912
New Mexico	350	2,117,566	1,473,219
New York	889	20,154,933	12,194,360
North Carolina	1,321	10,457,177	7,637,400
North Dakota	95	778,962	539,006
Ohio	996	11,790,587	8,100,273
Oklahoma	603	3,962,031	2,550,560
Oregon	450	4,241,544	2,944,828
Pennsylvania	1,103	12,989,625	8,930,677
Rhode Island	56	1,096,229	731,715
South Carolina	970	5,130,729	3,905,911
South Dakota	110	887,099	658,091
Tennessee	974	6,920,119	4,877,268
Texas	3,305	29,217,653	17,667,039
Utah	237	3,281,684	2,149,766
Vermont	60	642,495	460,871
Virginia	778	8,632,044	5,909,716
Washington	497	7,718,785	5,812,500
West Virginia	265	1,789,798	1,101,775
Wisconsin	530	5,892,323	4,315,892
Wyoming	100	577,267	427,233

*Based on The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Accidents happen to the best of drivers, so make sure you’re insured sufficiently and drive a safer car.

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States With the Most Drivers With One Car Accident on Record 2023

As you can see below, Maryland had the fewest accidents, but nearly 10% of drivers on the road have had one accident, so Maryland is the #1 state for drivers with one accident on their driving record. Georgia has the lowest percentage of drivers with one accident, just under 6.8%.

State	Number of Accidents	Percentage of Drivers With an Accident
FL	45,354	7.23%
CA	44,137	8.34%
TX	35,049	6.90%
NY	24,350	8.46%
GA	24,245	6.78%
OH	14,307	8.70%
SC	13,939	8.62%
PA	11,730	7.20%
MD	10,198	9.96%

States With the Most Multiple Car Accidents on Driving Record 2023

The following states had the most number of drivers with multiple car accidents on their driving record. Again, Maryland fares the worst with 1.35% of all drivers having multiple accidents and Georgia comes in with the least number of multiple accidents.

State	Number of Accidents	Percentage of Drivers With Multiple Accidents
CA	4,669	.88%
FL	4,634	.74%
TX	3,871	.76%
NY	3,203	1.11%
GA	2,374	.66%
OH	1,633	.99%
SC	1,402	.87%
MD	1,383	1.35%
PA	1,197	.37%
NJ	1,33	.83%

States With the Most Fatal Car Accidents

Here are the 10 states with the most fatal car accidents, according to World Population Review. Keep in mind that the population is also larger in states like Texas and California, so the number of fatal accidents will naturally be higher.

1. Texas - 3,305
2. California - 3,259
3. Florida - 2,915
4. Georgia - 1,407
5. North Carolina - 1,321
6. Pennsylvania - 1,103
7. Ohio - 996
8. Tennessee - 974
9. South Carolina - 970
10.  Illinois - 948

States With the Fewest Car Accidents on Driving Record in 2023

In some states there are a larger number of drivers without any accidents on their record. Drivers in the following states can rest easy knowing that there are fewer accident prone drivers on the road:

1. Montana
2. North Dakota
3. Idaho
4. South Dakota
5. New Hampshire
6. New Mexico
7. Maine
8. Hawaii
9. Rhode Island
10. Delaware

10 Types of Cars Most Common in Accidents

When looking at the number of accidents in the chart below, glance also at the number of those cars sold in 2022 alone, to get an idea of how many of these cars are on the road. Naturally, a very popular model that is more common will have a higher rate of accidents due to the sheer volume of cars.

Car Make	Car Model	Accidents	Cars Sold in 2022
Honda	Accord	12,995	154,612
Toyota	Camry	12,864	295,201
Honda	Civic	11,786	133,932
Nissan	Altima	11,448	139,956
Toyota	Corolla	10,792	222,216
Chevrolet	Silverado	6,870	520,936
Nissan	Sentra	6,665	77,124
Ford	F150	6,658	299,345
Hyundai	Elantra	6,543	117,177
Chevrolet	Malibu	6341	115,468

8 Deadliest Mid-Size, Four-Door Cars

Car Model	Deaths per Million
Subaru Legacy	14
Ford Fusion plug-in hybrid	15
Ford Fusion 4WD	22
Toyota Camry	34
Ford Fusion hybrid 2WD	34
Honda Accord	34
Kia Optima	37
Ford Fusion 2WD	39

*According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS)

8 Deadliest Mid-Size SUVs

Car Model	Deaths per Million
Honda Pilot 4WD	11
Kia Sorento 4WD	12
Ford Explorer 4WD	13
Hyundai Santa Fe 4WD	13
Toyota 4Runner 4WD	13
Toyota Highlander 4WD	13
Hyundai Santa Fe 2WD	16
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD	16

*According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS)

4 Most Common Types of Car Accidents

• Side-impact
• Single-vehicle
• Multiple-vehicle
• Head-on

5 Most Common Causes of Car Accidents

• Speeding
• Intoxication
• Distracted driving
• Auto defects
• Bad weather

Ideally, you will report an accident within 24 hours, regardless of which state you live in and no matter how minor the accident.

5 Steps To Take After a Car Accident

It’s important to remain calm and take the necessary steps after an accident. We highly advise you to call the police, even if it's only a fender bender.

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Key Takeaways States that see many accidents usually have higher auto insurance rates. Certain cars are more prone to fatal accidents and have higher insurance rates. Speeding, intoxication and distracted driving (like texting while driving) are the leading causes of car accidents.

Even if you live in an area with a high rate of car accidents, you can find a low car insurance rate, especially if your driving record is clean and if you have a solid credit score. Comparing rates is the best way to find out which insurer will offer you the lowest rate. Enter your zip code below and answer a few questions to begin comparing rates today for free.