The Staggering Numbers That Prove Mississippi Is The Deadliest Place In The Nation To Drive A Car
By Daniella DiRienzo|Published January 06, 2020
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Daniella DiRienzo
Author
Though Daniella was born in New York and has lived in a couple of other states, Mississippi has been her home for more than 30 years. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Daniella began to hone her writing skills through various internships. In the years since, she’s had the privilege of having her articles appear in several publications, such as the Mississippi-based Parents & Kids Magazine. She’s also had the honor of interviewing actress Sela Ward for The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
With so many things to love about Mississippi, it can be easy to overlook the state’s (few) downfalls. However, there’s one that’s pretty hard to ignore. According to the National Safety Council, Mississippi is the deadliest place in the country to drive a car. What’s more, Mississippi has been leading the nation in traffic fatalities for nearly 20 years! Read on for the staggering statistics that confirm the dangers Mississippi drivers face.
At 22.9 deaths per 100,000 residents, Mississippi has the highest traffic fatality rate in the nation! In 2017 alone, 685 people died in car crashes in Mississippi.
Mississippi accounts for 2% of the $44 billion that traffic-related deaths cost the U.S. each year. A number that’s even more shocking when you take into account that Mississippi is home to less than 1% of the nation’s population.
So, what makes Mississippi such a dangerous place to drive? There are several contributing factors, but rural roads, which are four times as deadly as city streets, are one of the biggest.
Dangerous even for experienced drivers, rural roads can be especially dangerous for new teenage drivers. Back in 2015, 769 people died in car accidents in Mississippi – of those 769, nearly 100 were between the ages of 15 and 19.