If you’re reading this and you’re from Louisville, I apologize in advance…but I HATE Louisville traffic. I like the city but I don’t like the highways that cross it.

DRIVING IN BIG CITIES

I’m also not a big fan of Lexington traffic, but I go there much less often than in Louisville. And it’s not like I can’t stand driving in a big city. I move very well in Nashville. In fact, it’s the other way around…sometimes it looks like NASHVILLIANS are nervous driving in their own city.

But this is Tennessee and we have to talk about Kentucky and irresponsible driving. And I hate to tell you this, folks from Kentucky, but we’ve been warned. And no, we can’t just blame Louisville or Lexington for this one. If that were the case, Kentucky wouldn’t be among the top ten states with the most irresponsible drivers.

ONLINE STUDY SHEDS LIGHT ON MISCONDUCT STATE BY STATE

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an agency of the Department of Transportation, crunch the numbers and determined that there was a more than 10% increase in traffic fatalities in 2021 compared to 2020. And when NHTSA broke it down into specific categories, it found that there were increases In all areas.

This is where SmartAsset comes in. The fintech company took the numbers from NHTSA and ranked the states with the most irresponsible drivers. Let me say, if you’re traveling south, go around the Mississippi. The Magnolia State may lay claim to some stunningly beautiful trees, but the ride leaves a lot to be desired. I was surprised to learn that over 29% of Mississippi residents do not have car insurance. But the main reason it tops the list is 1.9 deaths per 100 million miles driven. Yes, that number is actually the SECOND highest in that specific category (South Carolina at 1.97 is No. 1). But when combined with other factors, Mississippi comes out on top…or bottom, depending on how you look at it.

I mentioned Tennessee earlier. Well, despite my lack of concern crossing his capital, the Willing State comes second in this dodgy countdown.

HOW GOOD IS THE DRIVING IN KENTUCKY?

So where does Kentucky fit in? How about a ROBUST No. 8? It’s right there between two states in the desert southwest – Nevada at #7 and Arizona at #8. So we’re just a bit more responsible than people in Las Vegas – this metro area consumes most of Nevada’s population, and we’re a little LESS responsible than drivers navigating huge metropolitan areas like Phoenix and Tucson.

Only 13.9% of Kentucky drivers are uninsured, but that’s still too high. Additionally, the Commonwealth ranks 12th in the impaired driving arrest category.

In 2019, Northern Kentucky police issued nearly 300 citations on Interstate 75 in a 12-hour period. Not good.

The Kentucky Highway Safety Bureau publishes statistics on fatal accidents. Here are the numbers for 2020 and 2021.

And here’s what the agency has, so far, for 2022.

WHERE ARE THE NATION’S SAFEST DRIVERS?

If you’re wondering and haven’t seen the breakdown, the safest drivers are in the Northeastern United States. I don’t know if this has anything to do with the lower speed limits in this area, but it is possible. It would take a much bigger brain than mine to make that decision.

Summer is in full swing and people are driving a lot. In the words of a great character from a great detective show of the 1980s (Hill Street Blues), “Let’s be careful there.”

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