New Mexico ranks 9th for states with worst teen drivers

With teens obtaining driver’s licenses during the summer more than any other season, and an average of six teens dying every day from motor vehicle injuries, the personal-finance website WalletHub released a report on 2019’s Best & Worst States for Teen Drivers.

New Mexico ranks 9th on the list of the top worst states for teen drivers. 

WalletHub analyzed the teen-driving environment in the 50 states across three key dimensions: safety,  economic environment and  driving laws.

Study method

To determine the safest and least costly driving environments for United States teenagers, analysts with WalletHub wrote that they compared the 50 states based on 23 key metrics. The data set ranges from number of teen driver fatalities to average cost of car repairs to presence of impaired-driving laws.

Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for teen drivers. We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Getting a driver’s license is considered a rite of passage in American culture," they wrote in the study. "But this exciting coming-of-age has instead become a death sentence for thousands of teens each year. Motor-vehicle accidents continue to be the leading cause of death among the population aged 16 to 19, which also happens to be the age group with the highest risk of crashes."

And the financial implications are staggering. Although 15- to 19-year-olds made up only 6.5 percent of the population in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they racked up 8.4 percent of all costs resulting from motor-vehicle injuries without considering the costs of auto maintenance, insurance premiums, possible traffic citations and other vehicular incidents, expenses that can pile up over time, the analysts pointed out.

Vermont has the fewest teen driver fatalities per 100,000 teens, 1.86, which is 10.5 times fewer than in Wyoming, the state with the most at 19.60, according to the study.

Tennessee has the lowest share of major roads in poor or mediocre condition, 13.00 percent, which is 6.1 times lower than in Rhode Island, the state with the highest at 79.00 percent.

Hawaii has the lowest premium increase after adding a teen driver to a parent’s auto-insurance policy, 11.80 percent, which is 11.6 times lower than in Rhode Island, the state with the highest at 137.00 percent.

New York has the fewest vehicle miles traveled per capita, 6,523, which is 2.5 times fewer than in Wyoming, the state with the most at 16,276.

Best States for Teen Drivers

1. Maryland
2. New York
3. Massachusetts
4. Louisiana
5. Texas
6. Michigan
7. Minnesota
8. New Jersey
9. Illinois
10. Delaware

Worst States for Teen Drivers

1. Wyoming
2. South Dakota
3. Missouri
4. Arizona
5. Montana
6. North Carolina
7. New Hampshire
8. Mississippi
9. New Mexico
10. Idaho

More:WalletHub ranks best states for working mothers

More:Study: New Mexico most federally-dependent state

To view the full report and individual state’s rank, visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-for-teen-drivers/4598/.