MA Ranks Among Safest States on New Year’s Eve

Monday, December 24, 2018

GoLocalWorcester News Team

With the holiday season in full swing, how safe are Massachusetts roads when it comes to drunk driving?

According to a recent report by Safewise, Massachusetts has the fifth safest roads in the U.S. with 1.74 drunk driving deaths per 100,000 people.

“New Year’s Eve rings in more than the dawn of a new year—it’s also one of the deadliest nights on our nation’s roads. It’s easy to get caught up in the festivities, but one too many toasts before getting behind the wheel can turn revelry into tragedy,” writes Safewise.

The Rankings

The top five states with the safest roads include are:

1. New Jersey - 1.38 Drunk Driving Deaths per 100,000 People

2. New York - 1.48 Drunk Driving Deaths per 100,000 People

3. Minnesota - 1.52 Drunk Driving Deaths per 100,000 People

4. Utah - 1.70 Drunk Driving Deaths per 100,000 People

5. Massachusetts - 1.74 Drunk Driving Deaths per 100,000 People

The Method

Safewise used newly-released data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which shows the number of impaired driving deaths in each state in 2017.

Then they compared that report’s numbers for each state to 2017 Census population estimates to identify the safest and most dangerous roads on New Year’s Eve, according to the rate of impaired driving deaths.