Riding a motorcycle can be dangerous in general, but if you ride a motorcycle in Alabama, beware: It is even more dangerous in the heart of Dixie. Why? According to a new report that compiled data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the American Motorists Association (AMA), the top 10 states with the worst drivers in the U.S. are all in the South.
The NHTSA measured driver fatalities, the AMA measured which states ticket drivers the most and MADD measured the number of drunk drivers. The data was analyzed by a car insurance comparison website that translated it into the following rankings categories:
- Traffic deaths per million miles
- Number of traffic tickets issued
- Drunk driving infractions
- Failing to obey traffic signals
- Careless driving
The higher the ranking in each category, the worse the state's drivers score. The scores in each category were then added up to determine which states had the most dangerous drivers.
According to the report, the states with the 10 worst driver rankings in descending order are:
10. South Carolina
9. Alabama
8. Montana
7. Kentucky
6. Arizona
5. Oklahoma
4. Florida
3. Texas
2. Missouri
1. Louisiana
The data shows that northern states tend to have the safest drivers overall.
According to the data used for the report, here are the details behind Alabama's ninth worst driver ranking. Alabama was ranked:
- 42nd in fatalities per million miles
- 46th in traffic ticketing
- 29th in drunk driving
- 41st in failing to obey traffic signals
- 7th in careless driving
Alabama's statistics for fatalities per million miles, traffic ticketing and failure to obey traffic signals were all in the bottom 10 of the rankings, and its position of 29th in drunk driving reflects poorly in the rankings as well. Those numbers reveal a bleak overall driver safety record for the state.
The data findings imply that motorcyclists are at a much higher risk of being involved in vehicle accidents, sustaining personal injuries and being the victim of fatal accidents on Alabama roads than in 41 other U.S. states because they share the road with such dangerous drivers. In particular, the city of Birmingham, Alabama, has been cited as one of the most dangerous cities in the country for driving.
If you are involved in an Alabama car accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Consult with a personal injury attorney to discuss your rights and legal options.
