NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – New Jersey has the best teen drivers in the country—and New York’s teens aren’t far behind—according to a report by ConsumerAffairs that looked at fatal crashes involving new drivers.
The report ranked the 50 states from worst to best using 2022 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s fatality reporting system, the latest data that's available.
The report looked at four factors per 100,000 people age 15 to 19—total fatalities; fatalities involving drivers under the influence; fatalities involving speeding; and fatalities involving “bad driving,” which includes things like aggressive, careless and inexperienced driving.
New Jersey was 50th on the list, while New York was 47th, and Connecticut was 25th.
New Jersey has several factors going for it when it comes to the increased safety, including some of the strictest rules for new drivers in the country and dense traffic infrastructure that reduces high-speed driving.
The state with the worst teen drivers was Montana, followed by Wyoming, Delaware, Missouri and Oklahoma.
For example, New Jersey had a fatality rate of 0 per 100,000 for teen drivers under the influence, compared to Montana's fatality rate of 7.33 and the U.S. average of 0.75.