Causation? Correlation? Coincidence? It's hard to tell, but the fact of the matter is that Boston drivers were once again declared the worst this year, and the city has extended its deal to let AI manage its terrible traffic. So it's probably no surprise to discover that, according to Visual Capitalist, using Insurify data, Massachusetts has the highest rate of car crashes in the country.
Based on the number of accidents per total number of drivers, the Bay State is on top the leaderboard with a score of 6.1%. And whatever's affecting Massachusetts drivers seems to be spreading throughout New England, since New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maine were ranked 2 through 4 with accident rates of 5.8%, 5.6%, and 5.4%, respectively. The state with the lowest accident rate was Michigan, at a mere 1.7%.
Another oddity of the numbers: Fewer crashes don't seem to make an impact on states' insurance rates. Michigan has the highest insurance rates in the country, with Mitten State motorists paying some 80% more than the nationwide average.
The same Insurify data also shows what cars and trucks were involved most often in those crashes, and the results may not be what you expect: Four of the 10 vehicles with the highest accident rates — not the highest number of accidents total — were EVs. Leading the way was the Kia Soul EV, while the Chevrolet Bolt EUV finished third, the Volkswagen ID.4 came in fifth, and Chevy's Bolt EV came out in the eighth position. (The Bolt EUV is the inexpensive and spacious crossover version of the Bolt EV.)
It's a guess, but perhaps people were still getting used to the instant torque and quick acceleration of electric vehicles? Anyway, filling out the list were the MazdaSpeed3 (No. 2), Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (No. 4), Jeep Wrangler YJ (No. 6), Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid (No. 7), Ram 2500 (No. 9), and Chrysler Voyager (No. 10).
Oddly, Insurify reported on the same topic in 2023, with completely different results. That year, using the percentage of drivers with a prior at-fault accident on their records, the list of "Car Models with the Most Accidents" had exactly zero of the models mentioned in 2024. The 2023 vehicles were, starting with the most accident prone, the Audi S4, Scion iA, Chevrolet Volt, Hyundai Veloster N, Toyota GR86, Subaru WRX, Subaru XV Crosstrek, Chevrolet Silverado LD, Kia Niro, and Subaru Impreza.
Of course, the word "accident" can cover a broad range of possibilities, and a minor fender-bender isn't anything like a serious crash. Ranking cars based on the number of fatalities per billion miles driven, the vehicle most likely to leave someone dead in an accident is — according to iSeeCars — the Hyundai Venue. Following the Venue are the Chevrolet Corvette, Mitsubishi Mirage, Porsche 911, and Honda CR-V Hybrid.
Now, you've probably noticed one big name missing from that previous discussion: Tesla. Despite the occasional fiery Cybertruck crash, and a reputation for having some of the country's worst drivers, the brand was conspicuously absent from the Insurify data. And while ISeeCars noted that Tesla as a brand had the highest rate of fatal accidents — with Kia, Buick, Dodge, and Hyundai following — Tesla's Model Y and S were only #6 and #21 in the rankings on iSeeCars' list of vehicles. The Mitsubishi Mirage G4, Buick Encore GX, Kia Forte, and Buick Envision closed out the top 10.
You can see how some of this happens, since the Corvette, 911, and Teslas are high-performance cars likely to be traveling fast, while the Mitsubishis, Forte, and Encore GX are on the smaller side. So they're all likely to lose out in a crash with a big truck or SUV.
The good news? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the number of annual auto fatalities fell by 3.8% in 2024, with the total dropping under 40,000 for the first time in four years.
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