Connecticut has the best drivers, according to study

Connecticut has, by far, the best drivers in the country, according to an annual study and report put out by QuoteWizard based on 2022 insurance quotes.

“Connecticut drivers aren’t just the best in the nation, they’re the best by a wide margin,” the report says. “Congratulations Connecticut, these aren’t just good numbers, they’re the best we’ve ever seen.”

The rankings were based on the number of traffic citations issued, speeding tickets, DUIs and accidents, according to the report, with Connecticut placing at the top or near the top in all categories.

Those findings may come as a surprise to Connecticut residents however, who have seen dramatic spikes in vehicle accidents, wrong-way driving accidents and pedestrian deaths by vehicle since the COVID-19 lockdowns were lifted and people began returning to the roadways en masse. 

Pedestrian deaths have doubled since 2011 and a number of high-profile and deadly wrong way driving incidents on Connecticut’s highways necessitated a program to install warning systems to on some highway off-ramps to alert drivers they are driving the wrong way.

Meanwhile, traffic enforcement by state police dropped off beginning in March of 2020 and remaining low through most of 2021 before approaching pre-pandemic levels again. 

The drop off in traffic enforcement was blamed on several issues including COVID-19 itself, low staffing levels and low officer morale, which some tied to Connecticut’s Police Accountability Act, passed during the summer of 2020.

The high rate of traffic and pedestrian fatalities combined with lower levels of enforcement was enough to get the attention of lawmakers. The legislature’s Public Safety Committee held a closed session to discuss the matter in early 2022.

QuoteWizard wasn’t the only organization to rank Connecticut’s drivers among the best. Insurify, ranked Connecticut drivers third-best in the country in 2022, noting that 87 percent of its drivers had clean records.

“Interestingly, although speeding is almost as common as at-fault accidents nationally, Connecticut drivers cause accidents more than twice as often as they get ticketed for speeding, the largest disparity among any of the 10 best driving states,” Insurify wrote.

AutoInsurance.org also found Connecticut drivers among the best based on number of accidents, fatalities and drunk driving incidents. According to the report, that means Connecticut drivers may enjoy cheaper vehicle insurance rates.

Despite its problems, Connecticut still bested other states like Michigan, Delaware and West Virginia for the top spot, according to QuoteWizard. 

Utah, California and Iowa were ranked as the three states with the worst drivers.