I know sometimes it seems like Iowa is filled with terrible drivers, but it could be so much worse! A new study from SmartAsset does not rank Iowa as one of the states with the worst drivers. Actually, we were ranked one of the 15 states with the BEST drivers!

First, we need to know how these rankings were determined. According to the article:

"To find the states with the worst drivers, we considered four metrics: percentage of drivers who are insured, number of driving under the influence (DUI) arrests per 1,000 drivers, number of fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles driven and how often residents google terms like 'traffic ticket' or 'speeding ticket.'"

When it comes to bad drivers, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee, Florida, and California are the absolute worst. Then you scroll waaaaay down the list to number 36. That's where you'll find Iowa, Illinois, and New Jersey. We all tied for that position. In Iowa, 91.3% of our drivers are insured, we have 4.46 DUI arrests per 100 drivers, and .96 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Here are the rankings for some of our Midwest neighbors:

  • Missouri - 18th
  • Wisconsin - 22nd
  • South Dakota - 25th
  • Minnesota - 31st
  • Nebraska - 48th

Overall, the top five states with the best drivers are:

  1. Massachusetts
  2. Utah
  3. Nebraska
  4. Vermont
  5. Maine

I wasn't shocked by Iowa's position on the list, but I was shocked by my home state of Michigan's. Michigan has some of the absolute WORST drivers I've ever encountered, but it was ranked all the way at number 25. The 24 states who ranked worse must have some truly terrible drivers!

Check out more results from the study HERE.

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