Mississippi Has Led The US In Motor Vehicle Deaths Since 2014

Despite advancements in car safety technology and stricter traffic laws, driving remains one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States.

In 2022, 46,027 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the United States—a rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people.

This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, visualizes the number of motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 people by state in 2022.

The figures come from the National Safety Council, with data pulled from the National Center for Health Statistics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Mississippi Has the Highest Number of Fatal Crashes

With 26 vehicle deaths per 100,000 people—nearly double the national average—the southern state of Mississippi has long been the worst state for fatal vehicle accidents per capita.

Rank
State
Motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 people
1
Mississippi
26.0
2
New Mexico
23.0
3
South Carolina
21.6
4
Arkansas
21.4
5
Louisiana
20.7
6
Montana
20.6
7
Alabama
20.5
8
Oklahoma
19.3
9
Tennessee
19.0
10
Wyoming
18.9
11
Arizona
18.6
12
South Dakota
18.4
13
Missouri
18.0
14
Georgia
17.5
15
Kentucky
17.4
16
North Carolina
17.3
17
Florida
16.7
18
West Virginia
16.3
19
Alaska
15.9
20
Kansas
15.6
21
Texas
15.3
22
Delaware
15.2
23
Indiana
14.8
24
Oregon
14.5
25
Maine
14.5
26
Colorado
14.3
27
Nebraska
14.2
28
Idaho
14.0
29
North Dakota
13.9
30
Nevada
13.8
31
California
12.9
32
Virginia
12.5
33
Vermont
12.5
34
Michigan
12.2
35
Iowa
12.0
36
Ohio
11.9
37
Wisconsin
11.2
38
New Hampshire
11.0
39
Washington
10.8
40
Illinois
10.7
41
Connecticut
10.7
42
Pennsylvania
10.3
43
Maryland
10.2
44
Minnesota
9.7
45
Utah
9.6
46
District of Columbia
8.8
47
Hawaii
7.8
48
New Jersey
7.7
49
Rhode Island
7.0
50
New York
7.0
51
Massachusetts
6.9

Speeding, drunk driving, and distracted driving are some of the most common reasons for car accidents in Mississippi. In 2016, drunk driving accounted for 18% of total traffic deaths in the state.

Additionally, as a predominantly rural state, accidents on Mississippi’s poorly-maintained rural roads usually happen far from hospitals, delaying life-saving measures.

Specifically, driving at night on Mississippi’s rural roads can often be deadly, as seen in this graphic. In Mississippi, as well as in second-ranked South Carolina, which also has a substantial rural population, the number of fatal traffic accidents peaked between 8 to 9 p.m.

While 2022 saw the first decrease (-2%) in motor vehicle deaths since 2019, over the past decade, motor vehicle deaths have increased by 30%, according to data from the National Safety Council.

Which country is the deadliest place to drive? See which nations top the list in this visualization on Voronoi, Visual Capitalist’s new data discovery app.