Scroll over the map below to find out how your state ranked. Click on your state for full details.
How the Rankings WorkUsing a grading system for state driving laws devised by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Reader's Digest (RDA) looked at the three that were most applicable to teen drivers: graduated drivers licenses (which impose restrictions before teens earn a full license), seat belts laws and DUI laws aimed at drivers under 21. The IIHS awards grades of Good, Fair, Marginal and Poor.
To perform our calculation, RDA awarded 4 points for Good, 3 points for Fair, 2 points for Marginal and 1 point for Poor. Our numerical scores were then divided into four categories: Best, Good, Fair and Worst. Use the dropdown boxes to see how your state ranked.
Teen Population represents the aggregate teen population in each state from 1997 through 2006.
Click your state's name or the plus sign next to your state to see its overall ranking and to find out how it was graded on DUI (driving under the influence) laws, GDL (graduated driver licensing laws), which impose restrictions before teens earn a full license, and seat belt laws.
Click the blue column headers to sort the information in each column. The Total Deaths column represents deaths due to teen car crashes over the past decade (1997-2006). The Teen Population column represents the aggregate teen population in each state from 1997 through 2006. The Deaths per 100k column represents the number of teen deaths per 100,000 kids.
Alabama
A
B BAlaska
A A AArizona
A B CArkansas
B C CCalifornia
A A AColorado
A A CConnecticut
B A BDelaware
A A ADistrict of Columbia
B A AFlorida
A B CGeorgia
A A BHawaii
A A BIdaho
B C CIllinois
A A BIndiana
A B AIowa
B B BKansas
A C CKentucky
B A ALouisiana
A B BMaine
B A AMaryland
B A BMassachusetts
B A CMichigan
B B BMinnesota
B C CMississippi
B C BMissouri
A A CMontana
B C CNebraska
A A CNevada
B A CNew Hampshire
A B DNew Jersey
B A BNew Mexico
B C ANew York
B A BNorth Carolina
B A ANorth Dakota
B C COhio
B A COklahoma
B A BOregon
B A APennsylvania
B A CRhode Island
D A CSouth Carolina
B C BSouth Dakota
B C CTennessee
B A BTexas
B B BUtah
A A CVermont
A B CVirginia
B A CWashington
B A AWest Virginia
A B CWisconsin
B A CWyoming
B B C
Editors' Note: The above chart was updated on July 21, 2008, to reflect new "Deaths Per 100,000" data. Previously, the chart indicated all teen fatalities, including those involving an adult driver. The updated data show the fatality rate for teen drivers and their teen passengers only. The top 10 states--those with the highest number of fatalities--remain the same.
How the Rankings WorkUsing a grading system for state driving laws devised by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Reader's Digest (RDA) looked at the three that were most applicable to teen drivers: graduated drivers licenses (which impose restrictions before teens earn a full license), seat belts laws and DUI laws aimed at drivers under 21. The IIHS awards grades of Good, Fair, Marginal and Poor.
To perform our calculation, RDA awarded 4 points for Good, 3 points for Fair, 2 points for Marginal and 1 point for Poor. Our numerical scores were then divided into four categories: Best, Good, Fair and Worst. Use the dropdown boxes to see how your state ranked.
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