A new study has identified the most dangerous states for fatal crashes at high speeds.
The study, conducted by Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers, utilized the latest available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on vehicles involved in fatal crashes between 2017 and 2021 where speed was recorded. It calculated the percentage of vehicles that were traveling at speeds exceeding 80 miles per hour to discover the states with the highest rates.
"At the national level more than 108,000 vehicles were in fatal crashes where their speed was recorded, and nearly 8,000 were found to be traveling faster than 80 miles per hour, while more than 2,000 were above 100 miles per hour," attorney Digger Earles said in a statement. "The dangers of speeding are clear for all to see, but this study highlights that many drivers are unable to resist the temptation to go way above the speed limit."
Coming out on top with the most significant proportion of high-speed fatal crashes is Montana, where 30.37% of vehicles (65 out of 214) were traveling at speeds of 80 MPH or more. Montana also had the highest percentage of vehicles recorded as traveling at more than 100 MPH before a fatal crash -- 11.68%.
Alaska ranked second, with 22.22% of vehicles (16 out of 72) in fatal crashes traveling at high speeds. That's followed by Illinois at 16.27% (212 out of 1,303), Connecticut at 15.62% (52 out of 333) and Wyoming at 14.11% (93 out of 659) rounding out the top five.
Texas, while ranked sixth in percentage terms at 13.96%, had the highest actual number of vehicles involved in high-speed fatal crashes, totaling 306 out of 2,192 vehicles with recorded speeds.
Further down the list, Rhode Island in seventh saw 13.82% of vehicles (21 out of 152) in fatal crashes at speeds of more than 80 MPH, as well as the nation's second highest percentage of vehicles that were speeding above 100 MPH, at 7.89%.
Eighth place New Jersey's rate was 13.45% (53 out of 394), while in ninth place South Dakota the percentage was 13.06% (79 out of 605).
Massachusetts rounds out the top ten, with 12.22% of vehicles (38 out of 311) in fatal crashes reported to be traveling at high speeds.
The most dangerous states for fatal crashes at high speeds, with percentages of vehicles in fatal crashes that were traveling at over 80MPH:
1. Montana -- 30.37%
2. Alaska -- 22.22%
3. Illinois -- 16.27%
4. Connecticut -- 15.62%
5. Wyoming -- 14.11%
6. Texas -- 13.96%
7. Rhode Island -- 13.82%
8. New Jersey -- 13.45%
9. South Dakota -- 13.06%
10. Massachusetts -- 12.22%
11. Missouri -- 11.53%
12. New Mexico -- 10.85%
13. Delaware -- 10.72%
14. Alabama -- 10.38%
15. Nevada -- 9.87%
16. Utah -- 9.08%
17. North Carolina -- 9.08%
18. Colorado -- 8.88%
19. Minnesota -- 8.16%
20. Wisconsin -- 7.71%
21. New York -- 7.68%
22. Louisiana -- 7.67%
23. Virginia -- 7.65%
24. California -- 7.29%
25. South Carolina -- 6.89%
26. Kansas -- 6.58%
27. New Hampshire -- 6.25%
28. Maryland -- 6.17%
29. Georgia -- 5.9%
30. North Dakota -- 5.68%
31. Oklahoma -- 5.51%
32. Pennsylvania -- 5.43%
33. Idaho -- 5.41%
34. Kentucky -- 5.22%
35. Arizona -- 5.19%
36. Hawaii -- 4.84%
37. Ohio -- 4.76%
38. Tennessee -- 4.65%
39. Florida -- 4.65%
40. Vermont -- 4.57%
41. Michigan -- 4.54%
42. Mississippi -- 4.4%
43. Iowa -- 3.8%
44. Indiana -- 3.69%
45. Oregon -- 2.9%
46. Maine -- 2.7%
47. Nebraska -- 2.3%
48. Arkansas -- 1.79%
49. West Virginia -- 1.15%
50. Washington -- 1.12%