What State Drives The Fastest? Speeding Report

by Zutobi · Updated Sep 26, 2024

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a significant report on speeding and its impact on road safety. The report sheds light on the alarming increase in traffic-related fatalities caused by excessive speeding in recent years. Speeding is a dangerous behavior that poses a severe risk to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians alike. In this “Speeding Report,” we delve into the latest data to identify states with the highest incidence of speeding, examine the major causes contributing to this dangerous behavior, and analyze the trends in speeding-related accidents. By ranking each state from best to worst, we aim to raise awareness about the importance of responsible driving and the need for effective measures to address speeding and ensure safer roadways for everyone.

Note: Driving statistics take time to collect. This report features the latest data released in April 2024.

Is there any difference between gender and age?

The data shows that individuals aged 55-75 have demonstrated the highest tendency to exceed the speed limit, with a total of 753 accidents reported for this age group.

Comparatively, drivers aged 25-34 showed slightly fewer violations of the speed limit, recording a total of 729 accidents throughout the year. Surprisingly, this figure is nearly equivalent to drivers aged 15-24, where 610 individuals were reported for exceeding the speed limit over the same period.

Throughout the year, male drivers were involved in speeding-related accidents 2,201 times, while female drivers experienced such accidents at a significantly lower rate—nearly 62% less, with 844 occurrences. It is evident that male drivers are leading in fatal crashes involving speeding in all of the listed states except South Dakota.

Breakdown by States

States most frequently driving at dangerously high speeds

New Mexico leads the nation with the highest number of speeding-related drivers. New Mexico reported 167 fatal motor vehicle crashes involving speeding in 2022, comprising approximately 40% of the total fatal crashes for the year. This data underscores the urgency of addressing speeding-related issues to improve road safety in the state.

The second worst state is Kansas, followed by New Jersey, Louisiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Hawaii, Idaho and Texas.

States with the least speeding

Rhode Island had zero deaths in fatal crashes involving speeding. These perfect performers were followed by Connecticut, Mississippi, Alaska, Nevada, North Carolina, California, Minnesota, South Carolina, and Iowa.

The substantial variation in speed driving crashes may, in part, be attributed to variations in state guidelines for reporting such accidents. Additionally, it could be the outcome of dedicated efforts by local governments to address speed driving through measures like anti-text laws, awareness campaigns, and other initiatives.

The complete list of speeding statistics for each state

State	Total Deaths in Fatal crashes Involving Speeding	Speed involving Deaths per 100 000 licensed drivers	Percentage of Fatal Involving Speeding crashes	Involving Speeding Driving Crude Rate
New Mexico	185	12.26	40%	100.01
Kansas	110	5.36	24%	52.19
New Jersey	183	2.76	26%	44.47
Louisiana	157	4.62	17%	40.02
Kentucky	128	4.28	17%	39.34
Hawaii	25	2.67	21%	36.87
Idaho	35	2.51	15%	29.65
Texas	495	2.64	11%	24.69
Washington	97	1.63	13%	23.53
Wyoming	12	2.78	8%	21.96
Montana	19	2.18	10%	21.17
Virginia	95	1.63	10%	18.70
Missouri	86	2.00	8%	18.61
Indiana	86	1.85	9%	18.61
Colorado	70	1.56	9%	17.86
Oklahoma	50	1.96	7%	17.34
New York	121	1.00	10%	17.03
Florida	265	1.61	7%	15.95
Massachusetts	38	0.78	9%	14.74
Oregon	39	1.26	7%	13.29
Wisconsin	41	0.94	7%	12.52
Maryland	39	0.89	7%	12.34
Maine	11	1.04	6%	12.30
Illinois	82	0.96	7%	12.24
Tennessee	68	1.34	5%	11.88
Arkansas	32	1.39	5%	11.47
South Dakota	7	1.03	6%	11.46
Arizona	70	1.20	5%	11.46
North Dakota	6	1.07	5%	10.88
Delaware	8	0.93	6%	10.80
Alabama	46	1.13	5%	10.77
District of Columbia	2	0.39	7%	10.56
Pennsylvania	70	0.77	6%	10.14
Utah	17	0.75	5%	9.86
West Virginia	12	1.04	4%	9.83
Michigan	59	0.76	5%	9.64
Nebraska	11	0.76	5%	9.54
Georgia	73	0.99	4%	9.35
Ohio	55	0.65	4%	8.20
Vermont	3	0.63	4%	7.71
New Hampshire	6	0.51	4%	7.58
Iowa	13	0.55	4%	7.56
South Carolina	33	0.81	3%	7.23
Minnesota	18	0.44	4%	7.18
California	148	0.54	3%	6.43
North Carolina	49	0.61	3%	6.35
Nevada	11	0.50	3%	5.63
Alaska	2	0.38	3%	4.91
Mississippi	12	0.59	2%	4.72
Connecticut	8	0.30	2%	4.33
Rhode Island	0	0.00	0%	0.00

Methodology

Data in this report has been gathered from different governmental websites, including the Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST) developed by NHTSA.

Previous Report: Speeding Driving 2023