From Suzuki Law Offices
A new study has revealed the riskiest states to change lanes in, and Florida ranks as one of the most dangerous places for drivers due to its high number of fatalities.
The study was conducted by personal injury firm Suzuki Law Offices, utilizing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2017 and 2021. The data analyzed drivers who made a pre-event movement apart from going straight at the time of the crash to discover how many were changing lanes.
According to the data, 8.07% of drivers in fatal crashes in Massachusetts were changing lanes at the time – the highest rate in the nation. This figure represents 49 out of the total 607 drivers involved in fatal accidents who were recorded as making a pre-event movement other than traveling straight.
Ohio came in as the second most dangerous state to change lanes, with a percentage of 6.16%, based on 173 out of 2,808 drivers in fatal accidents moving to a different lane at the time.
In third place, Texas documented 590 lane-changing drivers out of 9,681 involved in fatal crashes (6.09%) during the five-year period that was measured.
Rhode Island has the fourth highest rate of drivers involved in deadly collisions related to lane changing, reporting 11 lane-changing drivers out of 181 in fatal crashes (6.08%).
Florida completes the top five, based on 5.83% of drivers in fatal crashes changing lanes at the time. In total, 8,402 drivers in the state were recorded as making a pre-event movement that wasn’t going straight, and 490 of those were changing lanes.
The top ten is rounded out by Arizona in sixth (5.60%), Indiana in seventh (5.54%), California and Virginia tying for eighth place at a rate of 5.46%, and New Jersey in tenth on 5.43%.
Top Ten Most Dangerous States to Change Lanes
|
Rank
|
State
|
Total drivers in fatal crashes by not "going straight"
|
Total drivers in fatal crashes by changing lanes
|
Percentage of drivers in fatal crashes changing lanes (excludes "going straight")
|
|
1
|
Massachusetts
|
607
|
49
|
8.07%
|
|
2
|
Ohio
|
2,808
|
173
|
6.16%
|
|
3
|
Texas
|
9,681
|
590
|
6.09%
|
|
4
|
Rhode Island
|
181
|
11
|
6.08%
|
|
5
|
Florida
|
8,402
|
490
|
5.83%
|
|
6
|
Arizona
|
2,823
|
158
|
5.60%
|
|
7
|
Indiana
|
1,969
|
109
|
5.54%
|
|
8
|
California
|
9,589
|
524
|
5.46%
|
|
9
|
Virginia
|
2,399
|
131
|
5.46%
|
|
10
|
New Jersey
|
1,528
|
83
|
5.43%
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Commenting on the findings, Richard Suzuki at Suzuki Law Offices said: "This data highlights that even the most mundane driving practices require our full attention and adherence to safety measures. Although changing lanes is a common aspect of driving, it can still lead to danger, and on a national level, there were 4,392 drivers involved in fatal crashes over the five-year period who were changing lanes at the time.”
Methodology:
Data was gathered from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2017 and 2021.
The NHTSA has 19 different categories for pre-event movement, and the study analyzed drivers who made a pre-event movement apart from “going straight” at the time of the crash, to discover how many were categorized as “changing lanes”. The percentage of drivers who were changing lanes at the time of the crash was calculated against the total number of drivers in fatal crashes who were not going straight, to discover the states with the highest rates.
