Study reveals best, worst states for drivers

Congratulations, Maine. The Vacationland state is home to the country's worst drivers, according to a national study from insurance quote comparer Quote Wizard.

The new study ranked each state using data from the company's own base and cross-examined it with data from the Federal Highway Administration, which looked at fatalities in all 50 states. Car crashes, speeding tickets issued, DUIs, other citations, and fatalities on the road were used to calculate the rankings. Maine took the unglorious first place award.

The state saw a drastic rise in traffic citations and deaths on the road in this year's study. Additionally, state data showed an increase of 1,500 car wrecks in 2017 compared to 2016. Number two goes to South Carolina, which can attribute its poor ranking to DUIs. Nearly half of all fatal crashes in the Palmetto state were the cause of drinking and driving. Finally, Nebraska rounds out the top three. A rise in speeding and other traffic citations pushed Nebraska into third place.

ALSO SEE: Florida ranked most dangerous state for pedestrians

The state with the best drivers isn't sunny California (fourth worst, actually) or a coastal state with views at all. It's Michigan, which also happens to have some of the country's worst roads.

The state logged the fewest citations, speeding incidents, and fewer fatalities than last year. One catch: Michigan has a very high rate of uninsured drivers thanks in part to its relatively unusual no-fault insurance. One in five drivers don't have insurance. The second-best state is Mississippi, thanks to low speeding, DUI, citation, and fatal crash rates. However, locals still have problems buckling up. Half of the state's fatal car crashes come from drivers who did not wear their seat belts.

Finally, Oklahoma ranks third-best. Again, a major decrease in speeding, citations, and fatalities helped the state rocket from 11th last year to third best this year.

Curiously, Arizona and Texas ranked relatively well (at fourth and 14th overall) even though a separate study last year found three of their largest cities to rank worst for traffic deaths.

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