Massachusetts Ranks Among Best in U.S. for Teen Drivers

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Massachusetts ranks as the 6th best state in the country for teen drivers, according to a recent study done by WalletHub.

Massachusetts ranks 2nd in safety conditions, 25th in economic environment and 28th in driving laws.

See the map below for the complete state rankings.

Source: WalletHub

Methodology

In order to identify the best and worst states for teen drivers, WalletHub analyzed the teen driving environment in the 50 states across three key dimensions including safety conditions, economic environment and driving laws.

The categories are comprised of a total of 16 metrics given corresponding weights. Each metric was scored on a 0 to 100 point scale, with 100 corresponding to the most favorable conditions for teen drivers.

WalletHub then calculated the overall score for each state using the weighted average across all metrics, and then ranked the state accordingly.

Safety Conditions – Total Points: 50

Number of Teen Driver Fatalities per 100,000 Teens: Double Weight (~16.67 Points)
Number of Vehicle Miles Traveled per Capita: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
Number of Teen “Under the Influence” Traffic Violations per 100,000 Teens: Double Weight (~16.67 Points)
Quality of Roads: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)

Economic Environment – Total Points: 20

Maximum Cost of a Speeding Ticket: Half Weight (~1.82 Points)
Maximum Cost of a Red-Light Ticket: Half Weight (~1.82 Points)
Maximum Amount of First-Offense Fines for Not Wearing a Seat Belt: Half Weight (~1.82 Points)
Premium Increase After Adding a Teen Driver to a Parent’s Auto Insurance Policy: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)
Average Cost of Car Repairs: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
WalletHub “States With the Highest & Lowest Insurance Premium Penalties for High Risk Drivers” Ranking: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)

Driving Laws – Total Points: 30

Teen Driver's Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Program Laws: Full Weight (~6.00 Points)
Presence of Occupant-Protection Laws: Full Weight (~6.00 Points)
Presence of Impaired-Driving Laws: Half Weight (~3.00 Points)
Presence of Distracted-Driving/Texting-While-Driving Laws: Full Weight (~6.00 Points)
Presence of Red-Light & Speeding-Camera Laws: Half Weight (~3.00 Points)
WalletHub “Strictest and Most Lenient States on DUI” Ranking: Full Weight (~6.00 Points)