NHTSA Reveals Top Ten Safest States to Drive In at Night

A study analyzed fatal crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from 2017 to 2021 to see which state had the lowest number of fatal nighttime crashes. Below are the top ten safest states in the US.

10. West Virginia: 573 of 1,298, or 44.14%, reported fatal crashes

9. Minnesota: 807 of 1,843, or 43.79%, reported fatal crashes

8. Utah: 545 of 1,258, or 43.32%, reported fatal crashes

7. Idaho: 461 of 1,072, or 43%, reported fatal crashes

6. New Hampshire: 225 of 526, or 42.78%, reported fatal crashes

5. Wyoming: 230 of 541, or 42.51%, reported fatal crashes

4. Maine: 294 of 719, or 40.89%, reported fatal crashes

3. South Dakota: 233 of 572, or 40.73%, reported fatal crashes

2. Nebraska: 388 of 1,032, or 37.60%, reported fatal crashes

1. Vermont: Vermont is the safest state to drive in at night, with 109 of 294, or 37.07%, reported fatal crashes

You may wonder, what is the most dangerous state to drive in at night? Hawaii takes the bottom spot. In total, 483 fatal crashes occurred in the state during the four-year period, with 285 of these at night, which is a percentage of 59.01%, the highest of any U.S. state.

The National Safety Council has found that traffic fatalities are three times higher after dark. Driving at night can be dangerous because visibility is limited, creating less time to react, especially when driving at higher speeds.

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