Driving every day in New Jersey is like taking a driver’s test; there are potholes, narrow streets, speed traps, heavy traffic, tight parking spaces, and hundreds of miles of highways and byways. All of this, I would assume, makes us better drivers. According to this study, I was wrong.
Every day driving in New Jersey is a challenge that most people do not enjoy. New Jersey drivers get distracted.
According to Lending Tree’s annual Best and Worst Drivers by State 2025 Report, New Jersey ranks 2nd in the country with the worst drivers!
Canva / TSM Illustration
Canva / TSM Illustration
Key factors in determining the worst drivers were
To determine the best and worst drivers per state, Lending Tree calculated the number of incidents per 1000 drivers in every state. The rankings included: speeding, accidents, citations, and DUIs.
SEE ALSO: Yes, NJ drivers are really that forgetful at the pump
Canva / TSM Illustration
Canva / TSM Illustration
How New Jersey got the 2nd-worst driver score
New Jersey ranks second because New Jersey drivers have 58.8 driving incidents per 1000 drivers. That substantial number ranks second only to North Dakota with 64.0 incidents per 1000 drivers.
Car accident / skid out of control at a red light
Canva (Townsquare Illustration)
New Jersey has the highest accident rate in the country
Congratulations to New Jersey drivers who have 31.5 accidents per 1,000 drivers. New Jersey was the only state that scored above a 30, with Rhode Island coming in at number 2 for the highest rate of accidents at 29 per 1,000 drivers.
With the highest accident rate in the country, it is no wonder that New Jersey car insurance rates are also the highest in the country.
SEE ALSO: NJ vs. NY: Who has the worst drivers?
The number of DUI’s New Jersey drivers commit ranks 11th in the country with 2.0 for every 1000 drivers.
In New Jersey speeding is not a big contributor to having the 2nd worst drivers in the country, only 0.2 per 1000 drivers receive speeding citations which according to Lending Tree’s report, is well below the national average. In fact, New Jersey is the only state under 0.5.
Be careful out there, I found these statistics interesting as I would have assumed we were all much better drivers than what this report showed.
LOOK: Here are the states where you are most likely to hit an animal
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Gallery Credit: Dom DiFurio & Jacob Osborn
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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Big Joe Henry. Any opinions expressed are Big Joe’s own.
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