Teen Driving: 2021 Best and Worst States for Teen Drivers

When it comes to drivers education, new drivers are given the opportunity to learn the basic knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to operate a motor vehicle. However, teen drivers can have a very different learning experience when it comes to driving on those roads. The driving environment varies throughout the country from city or country roads to hilly or flat terrains. These issues factor into how easy or hard it is for new drivers and we look at the best and worst states for teen drivers in 2021.

How Data Was Analyzed

For these results, CarInsurance.com looked at six teen-driving metrics to create their list. Those metrics were:

• Number of teen driver fatalities per 10,000 licensed teen drivers
• Extent of Graduated Driving License (GDL) laws
• Average annual insurance costs for teen drivers
• Drinking and driving rates for high schoolers
• Emailing/texting and driving rates for high schoolers
• Seat belt use for high schoolers

Based on these six metrics, each state was given a weighted score and the final rankings were determined for the 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Top 10 States for Teen Drivers

For 2021, it looks like New Jersey is the best state for teen drivers. CarInsurance.com said they performed well because of lower teen driver fatality rates, strong graduated drivers licensing (GDL) laws and they had low drinking and driving and texting while driving rates for high school students.

Here is the full Top 10 list for best states for teen drivers in 2021:

1. New Jersey
2. Maine
3. Rhode Island
4. Connecticut
5. Alaska
6. New York
7. Illinois
8. Massachusetts
9. Washington
10. Utah

Some highlights that stood out on this list is New Jersey has been the second-best state for the last two years, but cracked that top spot in 2021. Rhode Island made the biggest jump, as they were 20th in 2020 and now earned the third spot on the list. Maine made a big jump also, as they went from 12 to 2. Alaska was the top state in 2020 and fell to the fifth spot.

Worst 10 States for Teen Drivers

With the good has to come the bad, as now we look at the ten worst states for teen drivers. Montana finishes out this list and CarInsurance.com states their ranking is because of high teen driver insurance costs, not many GDL laws in place and a high percentage of teens who admit to texting and drinking while driving.

Here is the full list for bottom 10 worst states for teen drivers in 2021:

51. Montana
50. Arkansas
49. South Dakota
48. Wyoming
47. Mississippi
46. Kansas
45. Missouri
44. Arizona
43. Louisiana
42. District of Columbia

For the bottom states, it seems like consistency is the name of the game. Montana, Arkansas, Wyoming and Mississippi have all been in the bottom ten states for the last five years. South Dakota made the biggest drop, as they went from 25th in 2020 to 49th in 2021. Arizona also had a big drop, as they went from 31st in 2020 to 44th in 2021.

Keep in mind that traffic crashes are still the second-leading cause of death in teens aged 16 to 19. The best way to prepare any new driver for the road is by taking driving lessons with a professional instructor, so book your lesson today!