Dec 17, 2013 09:59 AM EST By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Louisiana has the country's worst drivers, according to an annual survey by Car Insurance Comparison. States were judged by five categories --  fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, failure to obey traffic signals and seatbelts, drunk driving, tickets, careless driving - and their total score was tallied. Higher scores meant worse drivers. For example, Louisiana was ranked 48^th in careless driving so it received 48 points for that category.

Car Insurance Comparison's survey distinguishes itself from other insurance companies' reports, which are released frequently and mainly to drive publicity, by using sources such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Motorists Association, NBC News reported. Its findings also correlate with Louisiana's other distinction as the state with the highest insurance premiums, according to NBC. Southern states rounded out the remaining top five (in order): Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, and South Carolina. The top five best came from colder states (in order from worst to best): Oregon, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Utah, Vermont.

The insurance company even interpreted the data. Based on the fact that 10 of the 15 states ranked "best" in ticket frequency also ranked worst in drunk driving, researchers posited a negative correlation  between the two categories -- meaning residents were more likely to drunk drive knowing they likely wouldn't receive a ticket. The pollsters also found that careless driving and fatality rate were the two most likely indicators of states with bad driving; none of the top 10 worst driving states finished better than 25^th in those two areas (though drunk driving was actually Louisiana's best category, even if it was still a paltry 38^th overall). On the flip side, states with good driving scores were likely to score high in careless driving and fatalities. 

According to the study's executors, it makes sense that 8 of the top 10 worst driving states were located in the south, for that region is rural and requires more driving than places with a concentrated metropolitan population, NBC reported. Yet, some of the safest places to drive were located in still somewhat rural areas like Utah, Vermont, and New Hampshire. By the survey's logic, New York should have been the safest state, but then again, we all know how New Yorkers drive.

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