According to a new report, rural roads nationwide see a disproportionate amount of traffic fatalities compared to their urban counterparts. But rural drivers in some states are at greater risk than in others.
“Traffic fatalities on the nation’s rural, non-Interstate roads occur at a rate nearly double that on all other roads,” states a new report from TRIP, a nonprofit organization researching transportation issues. Analysis of 2022 traffic data from multiple federal datasets, TRIP shows non-Interstate rural roads nationwide had an average traffic fatality rate of 2.01 deaths for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled compared to 1.12 deaths per 100 million VMT on all other roads. It also found that rural, non-Interstate roads accounted for 36 percent of the nation’s traffic fatalities but only 23 percent of all VMT in the U.S.
The report attributed these higher traffic fatality rates to a variety of factors, including a lack of roadway safety features, longer emergency vehicle response times, and higher speeds. But those factors vary highly per state. So which states are the most dangerous for rural drivers?
11 States with the Most Rural, Non-Interstate Traffic Deaths
Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled
- South Carolina - 3.11
- Delaware - 3.05
- Arizona - 2.87
- Oregon - 2.82
- Florida - 2.61
- North Carolina - 2.59
- Tennessee - 2.59
- Kentucky - 2.57
- Louisiana - 2.57
- Nevada - 2.53
- Texas - 2.52
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