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New Jersey ranked in bottom 10 for nation’s worst drivers

On Behalf of | Oct 18, 2021 | Car Accidents

If you ever suspected that New Jersey has some of the worst drivers in the United States, you now have some evidence. A study by auto insurance website QuoteWizard recently ranked the U.S. states by driving habits, and the Garden State came in 42nd.

Speed seems to be the main culprit

According to New Jersey 101.5, speeding was one of the main reasons the state ranked so low for traffic safety. New Jersey drivers were third in the country for speeding tickets issued so far in 2021. The senior research analyst behind the study said that New Jersey also had the 14th-most traffic citations overall.

It’s no surprise that a state full of speeders and other traffic violations also has more than its fair share of car accidents. The study ranked New Jersey 40th for collisions this year and 36th for traffic citations. One (minor) bright spot from the study is that New Jersey does not seem to be particularly bad when it comes to drinking and driving. The study ranked the state 27th for DWI — not great, but not among the very worst either.

Speeding leads to car accidents

Speed limits are there for a reason. The faster a driver is going, the less time they have to react to red lights, vehicles stopped in front of them, or other traffic situations. Similarly, other traffic rules, such as following vehicles at a safe distance and not driving while distracted by a cellphone, are also intended to reduce the chances of a serious crash.

As a responsible driver, you already know why it’s important to follow the rules. But you don’t know when you’ll encounter a dangerous driver whose speeding or other negligent actions cause them to crash into you. Then you could be left seriously hurt, in terrible pain, and unable to work for weeks, months or even years.