Michigan sometimes gets a bad rap when it comes to our drivers. Especially those who are operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol. With MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) recently claiming that Michigan law is way too lenient on intoxicated drivers, and WalletHub ranking us as one of the most lax states when it comes to handling bad drivers, we don’t sound like a safe place to drive a vehicle. That, however, is only one side of the story, and the other half is a whole lot nicer!
According to CarInsuranceComparison.com, Michigan actually has some of the nation’s better drivers. Car Insurance Comparison used data collected by the the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in order to put together a comprehensive list of the nation’s drivers, from best to worst. Michigan came in at number 8. Not top three, but hey, considering that we are up against 49 other states, 8th really isn’t bad at all!
A lot of factors were included in this data, which was all gleaned from 2015 because 2016’s data is not yet available. Each state was ranked based on drunk driving, speeding, fatality rate per 100 million miles travelled in vehicles and distracted driving. Even issues like failure to obey traffic signals and seat belt laws were all factored in. The results, it seems, were unexpected.
Using these individual scores, Michigan was ranked 32nd in fatality rate, 34th in speeding and 40th in drunken driving. Our highest score was in the failure to obey category, where we came in at 46 out of 50. Our lowest was in careless driving, where we only scored 18. Given this information, it seems Michigan drivers could stand to work on their distracted driving problem, but we are doing pretty darn well obeying seat belt laws and traffic signals.
According to the results of the study, the seven states who came in ahead of the Great Lakes State were Minnesota in first place, Vermont in second, and then Virginia, Iowa, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and in seventh place: Ohio. But who was in worst place? Which state received the not-so-honorable position of coming in last? None other than Louisiana, followed by Texas, South Carolina, North Dakota and Delaware.
So take heart Michigan! While we certainly have room for improvement, we are a long way from being the worst in any category in the nation when it comes to our drivers. However, as the Car Insurance Comparison website reminds us, change starts with each one of us as individuals. “Some of the best ways to increase safety while driving are to avoid the tendency to multitask, put away our cell phones, drive below the speed limit, and never drink and drive.”
If you are in the predicament where you had one too many before hitting the road, or made a mistake determining your body’s tolerance, call us immediately at 866-766-5245. The highly skilled defense attorneys at The Kronzek Firm have decades of combined experience defending those who are accused of drunk and drugged driving. We also regularly handle other serious driving related offenses, like leaving the scene of an accident, and child endangerment.
