How safe are roads for drivers, cyclists?
Editor’s note:This is the latest edition of Curious Mississippi, a service to the readers of the Clarion Ledger. Other questions answered by Curious Mississippi have surrounded recycling, potholes, UMMC construction, cicadas and the international nature of the Jackson airport. Readers can submit questions by email to CuriousMississippi@ClarionLedger.com and editors will pick out the best and reporters will answer them in an upcoming edition.
How safe are the roads for Mississippi drivers? What about cyclists?
Several recent studies offer insight into these questions, ranking Mississippi against other states through data analysis.
In some, Mississippi comes out on top, promising safe conditions for drivers. In others, the state ranks near last, painting a different picture.
The answer to the question “Are Mississippi roads safe?” may not have a clear cut answer, but reading studies like these can help the reader make an informed judgment.
Here’s how Mississippi ranked on several recent studies.
Gen Z drivers involved in fatal car accidents
A recent study ranked Mississippi the second most dangerous state for Gen Z drivers.
Injury lawyers John Foy and Associates conducted a study looking at data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Using reports from 2017 to 2021, the study collected the number of fatal car crashes involving a driver born after 1997.
The number of crashes was then compared to the Gen Z population in each state and compared against other states.
Mississippi had an average of 41 Gen Z drivers per 100,000 accidents. This statistic narrowly missed first place. Montana, ranked first, had 43.76 Gen Z drivers per 100,000 fatal accidents.
Seat belt use
“Click it or ticket” is a familiar message used by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Despite the popular phrase, Mississippians appear to fall behind other states when it comes to seat belt use.
Injury lawyers Bader Scott analyzed NHTSA data from 2015 to 2022 to determine which states had the best seat belt habits.
Mississippi came in at fourth lowest. The data revealed that just under 80% of Mississippians regularly use seat belts. This rate was lowest in 2015, with 73.6% of the state’s population using seat belts regularly.
Cycling accidents
For those who don’t own a car and opt for a bike instead, accidents are still a concern.
Mississippi recently earned fourth place on the nation’s most dangerous states for cyclists.
Using data from the NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, personal injury lawyers Sweeney Merrigan Law conducted a study comparing the number of fatal incidents involving cyclists against each state’s population for the year 2021.
Mississippi had 0.54 cycling deaths per 100,000 residents.
Fatal car accidents involving speeding
On a positive note, Mississippi recently earned second place in a study ranking states with least amount of fatal crashes involving speeding.
Personal injury lawyers The Fitch Law Firm analyzed NHTSA data from 2017-2021 and added up the number of fatal crashes in which speeding was named the primary cause for each state.
With 13.29% of fatal crashes involving speeding, Mississippi was deemed the second least dangerous state for speeding accidents.
Public transport accidents
Mississippi public transportation may be a safe option when it comes to accidents.
H and P Law took data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to determine which states have the lowest rates of collisions, injuries and fatalities involving public transportation.
The study collected data from 2010 to 2023 and stacked it up against each state’s population.
Mississippi earned 10th place, meaning the state is within the top 10 safest when it come to public transport.
According to the study, only one public transportation fatality occurred since 2010 in Mississippi. This incident added to the 379 non-fatal accidents gave the state a rate of 12.9 incidents per 100,000 residents.
Of course, public transportation is less common in the state, which could skew those numbers.