New Study Reveals the Deadliest States to Drive in this Labor Day

Article courtesy of Law Office of James A. Welcome.

According to data from the NHTSA, New Hampshire leads the country with the highest Labor Day driving fatality rate at 17.09 incidents per 100,000 residents
A spokesperson and law expert at Law Offices of James A. Welcome encourages drivers to always prioritize road safety – even if they’re rushing home for the holidays
Wyoming, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Mississippi make the top 5 most dangerous states to travel in.

A new study has revealed which states are the deadliest for drivers this Labor Day, based on road fatalities statistics – and New Hampshire is the riskiest.

The research, compiled by Law Offices of James A. Welcome, analyzed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data on fatal motor vehicle crashes reported on Labor Day, to identify which states are the safest for drivers.

Drivers in New Hampshire will need to be the most cautious on Labor Day, as the state proved the most dangerous for drivers with 17.09 road fatalities per 100,000 residents on the holiday. Labor Day is New Hampshire’s most deadly public holiday, with just one other state (Iowa) seeing Labor Day cause the highest number of traffic fatalities above all other holidays.

Top 5 deadliest states for driving on Labor Day

*State*	Labor Day road fatalities per 100,000 population
New Hampshire	17.09
Wyoming	9.72
Arkansas	7.86
New Mexico	6.71
Mississippi	6.31

Wyoming follows with 9.72 incidents per 100,000 residents; however, Labor Day is not the most deadly holiday for driving in Wyoming, it’s actually Easter. Arkansas has an average of 7.86 traffic fatalities on Labor Day per 100,000 population, making it the third most dangerous state to travel in during the holiday. Despite its high ranking, Father’s Day is Arkansas’ most deadly holiday to drive on.

Rounding out the top five are New Mexico and Mississippi in fourth and fifth respectively. In New Mexico, there are an average of 6.71 deaths on the road during Labor Day per 100,000 residents, whilst in Mississippi, there are 6.31 road deaths per 100,000 residents on the holiday.

Commenting on the findings, a Law Offices of James A. Welcome spokesperson says: “It’s a well-known fact people travel to spend time with their friends and family on holidays, so, naturally, there’s going to be more traffic on the roads in the run up to a major event like Labor Day.

“But with that increased traffic comes increased risk as people are likely to be tired from the night before or from socializing and therefore may struggle to concentrate as well as they would do normally.

“If you are planning to travel during thid you need to be conscious of your condition and consider your safety on the road. Ask yourself, are you okay to be driving? Have you slept enough? Will the alcohol be out of your system? Only when the answer is yes to all of those is it safe to drive.”

Top 5 safest states for driving on Labor Day

*State*	Labor Day road fatalities per 100,000 population
Hawaii	0.99
Massachusetts	1.00
Rhode Island	1.28
Utah	1.63
New York	1.80

On the other end of the scale, drivers in Hawaii experience the fewest deadly crashes on Labor Day, at only 0.99 incidents per 100,000 residents. However, Hawaiian drivers mustn’t take this as a reason to be less vigilant on the roads.

Following Hawaii as the second-safest state for drivers is Massachusetts, which sees 1.00 road fatalities per 100,000 residents on Labor Day. In third is Rhode Island, with 1.28 fatal crashes per 100,000 residents.

State Results

Ranked by Labor Day fatal crashes per 100,000 Population

Rank	State	Average Yearly Incidents (All Holidays)	Average Incidents per 100,000 Population (All Holidays)	Deadliest Holiday	Labor Day fatal crashes per 100,000 population
1	New Hampshire	113.29	8.04	Labor Day	17.09
2	Wyoming	108.43	18.45	Easter	9.72
3	Arkansas	535.71	17.35	Father’s Day	7.86
4	New Mexico	376.43	17.67	Father’s Day	6.71
5	Mississippi	633.71	21.53	Easter	6.31
6	Oklahoma	621.71	15.18	Mother’s Day	6.28
7	Alabama	889.29	17.24	New Year’s Day	5.82
8	Delaware	119.00	11.31	Independence Day	5.43
9	Iowa	315.14	9.72	Labor Day	5.29
10	Montana	181.29	15.94	Father’s Day	5.02
11	Idaho	214.29	10.71	Independence Day	5.00
12	West Virginia	256.86	14.51	New Year’s Eve	4.84
13	South Carolina	979.57	17.88	Independence Day	4.69
14	Vermont	60.57	9.34	Memorial Day	4.41
15	Missouri	887.29	14.21	Independence Day	4.35
16	Oregon	473.86	11.09	Independence Day	4.35
17	Kansas	377.43	12.71	Independence Day	4.33
18	Tennessee	1,068.71	14.79	Father’s Day	4.15
19	Wisconsin	548.29	9.20	Independence Day	4.07
20	Georgia	1,503.71	13.45	Independence Day	3.96
21	Alaska	67.71	9.15	New Year’s Eve	3.86
22	Florida	3,082.43	13.19	New Year’s Day	3.73
23	Colorado	600.29	10.08	Father’s Day	3.60
24	North Dakota	95.86	12.03	Memorial Day	3.59
25	Virginia	815.00	9.25	New Year’s Eve	3.57
26	Nebraska	205.71	10.26	Halloween	3.56
27	Connecticut	280.00	7.62	New Year’s Day	3.11
28	Texas	3,563.43	11.39	New Year’s Day	3.10
29	South Dakota	113.71	12.30	Easter	3.09
30	California	3,714.14	9.42	New Year’s Day	3.01
31	Illinois	1,047.14	8.24	Memorial Day	2.92
32	Arizona	974.86	12.86	Cinco de Mayo	2.83
33	Michigan	981.57	9.68	Independence Day	2.82
34	Louisiana	758.43	16.50	Easter	2.80
35	North Carolina	1,401.57	12.69	New Year’s Day	2.72
36	Ohio	1,108.29	9.33	Memorial Day	2.52
37	Kentucky	707.29	15.41	Halloween	2.49
38	Pennsylvania	1,081.29	8.27	Independence Day	2.40
39	Washington	554.00	6.96	New Year’s Day	2.33
40	Maryland	512.14	8.18	Thanksgiving	2.28
41	Nevada	318.86	9.76	St. Patrick’s Day	2.19
42	Indiana	814.86	11.77	Halloween	2.06
43	Maine	148.57	10.57	Halloween	2.03
44	Minnesota	374.00	6.46	Independence Day	1.97
45	New Jersey	580.29	6.11	Independence Day	1.95
46	New York	981.43	4.94	Father’s Day	1.80
47	Utah	259.57	7.41	Father’s Day	1.63
48	Rhode Island	58.86	5.29	New Year’s Eve	1.28
49	Massachusetts	354.57	4.97	Thanksgiving	1.00
50	Hawaii	100.43	6.94	New Year’s Day	0.99

About the Study

Data on fatal crash incidents between 2016-2022 was sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Researchers calculated average yearly Labor Day incidents for each state and adjusted the data to account for population differences, creating a standardized fatal crash per 100,000 residents metric for accurate state-to-state comparisons.

For more information about holiday travel safety and legal resources, visit: https://welcomelawfirm.com