November 6, 2026 | Car Accidents
U.S. traffic deaths fell 6.7% to an estimated 36.6K in 2025, according to early estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Yet in Hawaii, driving is getting worse faster than anywhere else in the country, according to an October 2026 Graves Thomas Injury Law Group analysis of NHTSA data that ranked the nine states where driving got more dangerous.
- Hawaii ranks first for the fastest-worsening roads, with the state’s fatality rate climbing 25.8% in a single year.
- Road deaths rose by 49 in New Mexico in 2025, the largest increase in deaths of any state.
- Over 15% more people died on Wyoming’s roads than a year before, one of the sharpest increases in the country.
- Florida led the nation in both motorcyclist (642) and bicyclist (208) deaths in 2024.
To identify where driving is getting worse the fastest, Graves Thomas Injury Law Group analyzed traffic fatality trends across all 50 U.S. states between 2024 and 2025, using NHTSA’s Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate in 2025, published in April 2026. States were ranked by a single measure: the percentage change in their fatality rate, which compares deaths with every 100 million vehicle miles traveled and so accounts for differences in how much people drive. The change in total traffic deaths was used as a qualifying filter rather than a weighted score. Only the nine states where both the fatality rate and the death toll rose were included in the ranking. The ranking reflects how quickly conditions worsened in 2025 rather than which states are historically the most dangerous. The 2025 figures are preliminary NHTSA estimates and may be revised when final data become available. Motorcyclist, bicyclist, pedestrian, speeding-related and alcohol-impaired driving deaths for 2023 and 2024 come from NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and Speeding Traffic Safety Facts reports.
These are the nine states where road fatalities are increasing the fastest:
| State | 2024 Fatalities | 2025 Fatalities | Fatality Rate Change (2024/2025) | Fatalities YoY Change (2024/2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 102 | 129 | 25.8% | 26.5% |
| Wyoming | 107 | 124 | 14.6% | 15.9% |
| New Mexico | 409 | 458 | 11.2% | 12.0% |
| Kansas | 339 | 367 | 8.6% | 8.3% |
| Vermont | 59 | 61 | 4.9% | 3.4% |
| Idaho | 238 | 254 | 3.4% | 6.7% |
| Colorado | 689 | 715 | 2.4% | 3.8% |
| Louisiana | 752 | 773 | 2.2% | 2.8% |
| New Hampshire | 133 | 136 | 2.1% | 2.3% |
Source: Graves Thomas Injury Law Group analysis of NHTSA early estimates for 2025 (preliminary) and 2024 data.
You can access the full report findings here:
1. Hawaii
- Fatalities, 2024: 102
- Fatalities, 2025: 129
- Fatality rate change: 25.8% growth
- Fatalities year-on-year change: 26.5% growth
Hawaii ranks first, with traffic deaths climbing from 102 to 129 in a single year. The islands lost 27 more people on the road, a 26.5% rise. The fatality rate, which compares deaths with the amount of driving, increased 25.8% over the same period. It stood at 0.97 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2024 and reached 1.22 in 2025. The latest toll is the highest of the last three years, and deaths have now risen two years in a row, after a 9.7% increase in 2024.
2. Wyoming
Wyoming takes second place for how quickly road safety is deteriorating, with its fatality rate rising nearly 15%, from 1.10 to 1.26 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, in 2025. Traffic deaths climbed from 107 to 124 over the same twelve months. The 17 additional lives lost amount to a 15.9% increase, and only Hawaii recorded a larger percentage rise in deaths. Motorcyclists were already at growing risk in 2024, when motorcyclist deaths increased from 15 in 2023 to 24, according to FARS data.
3. New Mexico
New Mexico holds third place for rising road deaths, with 458 people killed in 2025 against 409 the year before. The 49 additional lives lost represent a 12% increase. Adjusted for miles driven, the fatality rate also climbed 11.2% over the year, reaching 1.59 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, the highest rate of any state in 2025. Going over the speed limit had become a bigger factor on the state’s roads, too, when speeding-related deaths rose from 131 in 2023 to 148 in 2024.
4. Kansas
Kansas is fourth among the states where driving is getting more dangerous, as its fatality rate climbed 8.6% in 2025. Traffic deaths grew from 339 to 367 over the year. The loss of 28 more lives equals an 8.3% rise in the annual toll. The warning signs were already visible a year earlier, when motorcyclist deaths went from 42 in 2023 to 56 in 2024. Deaths linked to alcohol-impaired driving moved the same way, increasing from 108 in 2023 to 117 in 2024.
5. Vermont
Vermont completes the top five U.S. states for worsening road safety, after its fatality rate rose by 4.9%. Traffic deaths increased from 59 to 61 year on year, a 3.4% rise in the toll. Safety issues were already building in 2024, as deaths linked to speeding climbed from 19 in 2023 to 32. Alcohol-impaired driving deaths also rose from 17 to 24 over the same stretch.
Where Florida Ranks
Florida’s fatality rate change ranked 16th of 50 states, but its rate and death toll both declined. Its preliminary 2025 toll fell to 3,047 deaths from 3,138 in 2024, a 2.9% drop, and its fatality rate eased 3.9%, from 1.29 to 1.24 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. That rate is still above the national rate of 1.10, and only Texas and California recorded more traffic deaths in 2025.
Motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians remain the state’s clearest warning signs. FARS data show 642 motorcyclists were killed on Florida roads in 2024, more than in any other state and only slightly fewer than the 664 killed in 2023. Florida also led the nation in bicyclist deaths, with 208 killed in 2024, down from 234 in 2023. Another 668 pedestrians died, the third-highest total in the country after California and Texas, down from 774 in 2023. Alcohol-impaired driving deaths fell from 848 to 769 over the same period, still the third-highest total in the country, while speeding-related deaths rose from 349 to 360. For drivers, riders, cyclists and pedestrians on the Treasure Coast—from the I-95 corridor to U.S. 1 through Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties—the statewide improvement leaves little room for complacency.
Joseph H. Graves, Founder of Graves Thomas Injury Law Group, commented on the study:
“A falling national number can hide a lot of local trouble. Road deaths rarely rise for a single reason. They climb when speeding, distraction, impaired driving and unbuckled seat belts start showing up together on the same stretches of road, and a handful of extra crashes is enough to move the numbers in a smaller state. Drivers tend to assume a quiet road is a safe one. Open roads invite higher speeds, and speed is what turns an ordinary mistake into a fatal one. Slowing down, buckling up and putting the phone away remain the three habits that save the most lives.”
What the Numbers Mean for Florida Drivers
National progress on traffic deaths doesn’t guarantee safer roads close to home. As the states in this ranking show, conditions can worsen quickly, often within a single year. Florida’s numbers improved in 2025, but the state still ranks among the deadliest for motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians, and its fatality rate remains above the national average. Whether you’re commuting on I-95, riding along U.S. 1 or walking through your neighborhood, the same habits make the biggest difference: slow down, buckle up and stay off the phone. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a crash, the team at Graves Thomas Injury Law Group can help you understand your options.