NJ has the 5th best drivers in the nation, study finds

This likely couldn't seem further from the truth when you're traveling to and from work or the supermarket, but New Jersey drivers are among the best in the nation, according to a new analysis.

Insurance comparison website Insurify used information from more than 4.6 million auto-insurance applications to come up with their list. The Massachusetts-based company created its rankings based on one specific data point: the share of motorists who have clean driving records.

"A little over 86% of drivers in New Jersey have a clean driving record," said researcher Chase Gardner. "That's the fifth best rate in the nation and several percentage points better than the national average."

For the study, a driving record was considered "clean" if it included no at-fault accidents, DUIs, failures to stop, speeding, reckless driving, passing violations, or other citations for illegal driving behavior over the past 7 years. Insurify compared the number of clean drivers with the number of motorists applying for insurance in each state.

According to figures posted in May 2022 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, New Jersey in 2020 posted one of the lower rates of roadway deaths by population and vehicle miles traveled. The state recorded 584 deaths across 547 fatal crashes.

The Insurify report suggests that Michigan is the state with the best drivers.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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