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Oregonians Are Better Drivers: Portland Distracted Driving Attorneys

11/16/11

According to data recently released from the National Highway Transportation Administration Administration, the American Motorists Association and MADD, both Oregon and Washington drivers ranked in the top 15 safest in the country, which is great news for Portland distracted driving attorneys. Of course, someone has to come in first. So, who are better drivers: Washington residents or Oregon residents?

Oregon Ranked Higher Than Washington For Good Driving Behavior

Oregon drivers! They actually came in as the sixth best in the country, according to all the data. Washington drivers came in at a highly respectable 13th. That’s not to say that Oregon drivers are better than their Washington counterparts in all respects. For example, Oregon motorists receive a far greater number of drunk driving citations than do Washington drivers. In fact, Oregon ranked a worrying 37th of the 50 states in that category.

Portland car accident attorneys are frequently called on to represent people who have received horrific injuries due to a negligent person getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while under the influence. Before Washington drivers start shouting “Told you so!” the statistics also showed that motorists from that state are among the worst in the country for careless driving. They ranked a lowly 36th of 50 in citations issued for careless driving offenses.

So Which State Has the Worst Drivers?

Let’s put it this way. Without being too blunt, visitors to Lousiana should probably try to get there by plane and use a helicopter or Amtrak to get around once they get there. If that sounds harsh, the statistics make grim reading and bear out the truth of the matter. In 2009, Louisiana had 49 fatalities for every million miles driven. They also ranked in the bottom five in the nation in drunk driving, careless driving and traffic citations issued. In fact, the only category in which Louisiana doesn’t rank in the bottom ten was “Failure to Obey,” and even there, they ranked 32nd on the list. By way of comparison, when all the data was calculated, Lousiana’s “Bad Drivers” score was 196, while Washington drivers came in at 109 and Oregon at just 89.

 The state with the second worst record was, indeed, Missouri, with a “Bad Drivers” score of 184. In fact, the data released showed that most of the states with really poor drivers had two things in common. They are mainly rural states, and most of them are in the South. Moving to the other end of the country, New England drivers came in as the safest in the country, almost across the board, with Rhode Island motorists receiving the blue ribbon as the best in the country.

10 Best States for Good Drivers… and the 10 Worst

The states with the safest drivers in the country, and their respective “Bad Drivers” scores are:

  1. Rhode Island:  47 points
  2. Connecticut:  53
  3. Massachusetts:  56
  4. Virginia:  60
  5. New Hampshire:  68
  6. Oregon:  89
  7. Maine:  91
  8. Illinois:  97
  9. Nebraska:  98
  10. Ohio:  101

Honorable mention:  Washington with 109 points (in 13th Place)

The roll of ignominy concludes with the 10 states with the worst drivers in terms of safety.

1. Louisiana:  196 points
2. Missouri:  184
3. Texas:  183
T-3rd.  Florida:  183
5. Oklahoma:  180
6. Arizona:  178
7. Kentucky:  167
8. Alabama:  165
T-8th: Montana:  165
10.  Nevada:  159

These figures will doubtless do little to lessen the friendly banter between Washington and Oregon drivers over who really are the safest motorists on the road, but Portland distracted driving attorneys are glad that Oregon and Washington residents are being safe. On a serious note, however, if you have been injured in an automobile accident on Oregon roads, no matter which state the other driver comes from, your first port of call after you’ve received the medical attention you need should be one of our experienced and knowledgable Portland distracted driving attorneys. They will listen with a sympathetic ear to what you have to say, then provide sound advice on how best to deal with the insurance companies to receive the compensation you will need to help you on the road to recovery.