What States Are Most Dangerous for Driving Pickups and SUVs?
Besides crash-testing cars, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does a lot of statistical analyses of motor vehicle crashes. We recently came upon an IIHS' report that provides a state-by-state breakdown of crash fatalities by vehicle type. Based on 2016 data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the report compares fatalities caused by cars, pickup trucks/SUVs, large trucks, motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
For the purposes of PickupTrucks.com, we're looking at fatal crashes involving pickups/SUVs and cars by state.
The report shows that in eight states, the percentage of occupant deaths caused by pickup and SUV crashes was greater than the percentage of deaths by cars. Of course, they are the states where pickup truck and SUV ownership is quite high. Here are the eight states where it's safer to drive in cars than in pickups and SUVs followed by the percentage of occupant deaths per vehicle type:
State: Pickups and SUVs/Cars
- Alaska: 42 percent/19 percent
- Idaho: 43 percent/31 percent
- Montana: 46 percent/29 percent
- New Mexico: 38 percent/28 percent
- North Dakota: 36 percent/32 percent
- Oklahoma: 36 percent/31 percent
- South Dakota: 41 percent/28 percent
- Wyoming: 44 percent/18 percent
The full report can be found on the Topics page of the IIHS website.
Of course, the total number of deaths by vehicle type depends on many factors, one of which is a state's population. Statistically, pickup and SUV occupants are safer in the states marked in blue on the accompanying map compared to the states marked red, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the total number of deaths was lower in blue states than in red states.
RatedRadarDetector.org image
Comments
EVERY one of the states shown has a significant rural population that lives (and drives) many miles from the nearest emergency room or trauma center. A factor?
Likely, especially with single-vehicle crashes with nobody else around to see or call for help.
More trucks=more accidents w/trucks.
So what's up with TX? Not as concentrated?
Many factors.
Texas?
@stevador
Texas has many Baptists and Evangelicals, hence, less alcohol consumption; less drinking/driving. At least in the rural areas.
Alaska you ask?
Those people drink with both hands, and they have legal pot. You would too if you were cooped-up in the cabin six months every winter.
You also have to take into factor for those northern states, Large amounts of snow. I live here in Midwest. Drive to south Dakota all the time. The amount of snow we get; along with flat areas of land cause whiteouts and they are very dangerous and common!
Along with people who are driving these massive rigs..also feel safer in a bigger vehicle, so they push the boundaries just a little bit more. ( they'll drive faster, a little longer distances, and just drive when they probably shouldn't).
PAPA! You're in a pipe dream.
You do realize Texas was one of the last states to outlaw open container's? They fought it tooth-and-nail but MADD had the stat's on their side.
The only time you would get in trouble was to do it under age.
Even then, they would make you pour all alcohol on the ground and send you on your way.
Alaska is bigger, but very concentrated if living in a social area.
Lots of dry county's there due to problem drinking, but that merely feeds the black market.
I don't smoke a pipe.
Texas has a traditional notion about the size and reach of government. They don't trust the politicians there. It's not about alcohol or liking alcohol as much as it is mistrust of government.
Rest assured. Texas has a church on every corner.
As a percentage of its population Alaska is not as rural as many think. Anchorage metro is over 440,000 out of 750,000 state pop. Way more Hillbillies in Pennsylvania where I spent my misplaced youth.
Not to say Alaska isn't crawling with pickups and odd characters.
I live in Texas and while yes, we have a ton of pickups. I can tell you that the city of Austin probably sees five compact hybrids for every pickup statewide (I’m only half joking). And if you’ve ever driven through Austin, then you’d understand why cars outnumber pickups in Texas wrecks.
SUV should not be with trucks because they are not trucks, they are liberal transport vehicles!
@MLS956
Austin is in the bubble. Does not count.
The rest of Texas, except for some neighborhoods in Houston and Dallas perhaps is conservative, religious, loves their trucks.
@oxi
I’m as hard core conservative as they come.
I lead my district in calls for, and the ultimate censure of John McCain by the AZ-GOP. I also have a V8, REAL 4x4, SUV that I use for family transport and another older 4x4 9 passenger SUV with solid axles, real 4x4, a swapped in 454 and DANA 60 front axle, and have loaded many a quartered animal in the back.
You’re thinking of Tacomas, Tundras, and Subarus.
@James
Thanks for updating Mr Oxi
I also found his comment about SUV owners to be out of line. I'm interested in your 454 engine swap. Would like to hear more.
Reasons
1. Vehicle traffic laws on those states are loose
2. Driving under influence (different substances - alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroine...)
3. Maintenance of the vehicle
4. Most fatal crashes involving alcohol occur at night (street lights - those states have no resources - cant increase taxation due to diminutive property values versus no income)
5. Inability to stay awake or alert - from the days of bygone (truckers using stay awake pills) however we know the body needs sleep (experts such as oxi, will claim he always drive from Washington State to Florida non stop no sleep, no bathroom break, no food - he is a bionic man).
Yes the blue states have lower number of death - their vehicle and traffic laws are stringiest - (we need more of Boss Hogg, sheriff J. W. Pepper & sheriff Buford T. Justice).
No, pickups have advantage over cars - imagine - I would not want to be in the ‘smart’ golf cart car with a bus or 18 wheeler behind me - what if that driver of bus blinked or is drowsy - that ‘smart’ golf cart car will be flattened.
Secondly the ratio of pickup ownership versus cars maybe a factor.
Thirdly cars, are under lock and key in the rural areas (due to it is used by family hierarchy) while pickups are loosely governed by the family.
This statistic can be interpreted ‘different strokes by different folks’.
@ James and papajim,
Only a lib eral would defend an SUV to be a truck! You can sugar coat it all you want, an SUV is an SUV, not a truck!
Grown men driving (owning) modern SUV's = lib eral mindset!
Men drive trucks, toxic mas culinity drive cool trucks!
Liberals drive gurly vehicles like SUV's!
My wife owns and drives a Subaru Crosstrek, that is a gurl vehicle and lib eral type of vehicle. I own two Tacoma's, those are trucks!
My brother owns a full-size Sequoia, no matter how much he talks tough about it, the thing is still an SUV, not a truck! Lib
erals will do anything to defend their stupidity as being just, but we all know the truth about that!
@ oxi
Hate to break it to you an SUV is truck. All full size SUV's are based off of truck frames. Your brothers Sequoia is a tundra with a topper on it.
Any suburban, Yukon, Tahoe is a Silverado or Sierra
Expedition is a F150
If you dont see that. Your the one with issues
The only difference is the use of the bed. In an SUV its covered and has seats and used for storage--
In a truck its open can haul more disposable things, construction things, ect..ect.....
Perhaps Oxi is referring to crossovers? Some of them have the look of an SUV. I suppose it can be an easy mistake to make.
Poor Oxi is caught up in his Tacoma World.
The Suburban, Expedition,Tahoe like large passenger SUVs are built
Body On Frame truck platforms.Toyota Highlander Acura MDX, Honda Pilot, current Ford Explorer are built on unibody platforms.
So the term CUV crossover utility vehicle is mostly used.
Ridgeline is built on unibody platform but still is a pickup truck by definition. Current 4 Runner is Suv but on Body. On Frame platform
Ridgeline is built on unibody platform but still is a pickup truck by definition.
@Ridgeline2007
At least Oxi's truck is a real truck. He does NOT drive a Honda Accord dressed up like a compact pickup (by definition).
All you ultra lefties need to read this website.
https://www.jihadwatch.org/
@ papajim
Why do you care, and why does it upset you so, as to what others drive and spent THEIR money on?
@ Oxi
Momma’s SUV has a 360 HP, 390 lbs ft V8, can tow 7,200 lbs, has 47:1 crawl ratio thanks to front/rear factory parts 3.70 diff assemblies, has 31.5” tires, and a rear diff locker. It seats 5, is nimble in her big city commute, will get 22 mpg on the highway, and we took it on Black Bear Pass, and Poughkeepsie Gultch.
My SUV, BTW I have 2 pickups too, is a V2500 Suburban with a 454 swap, 4L85E, DANA 60 front and 14 bolt full floater. I have a cross over steering kit, longer GMT400 rear leafs, proper lift and axle placement for 37s. The section modulous of my frame is greater than your Tacoma and 1/2 ton pickups. My GVWR WAS 8,800lbs stock, although the 400 springs have slightly more capacity. The payload, GVWR, less curb weight, leaves me a 2,350 lbs pay load. That’s WAY more than your Tacoma. Why a suburban? 3 rows of seats for the kids and dogs, I can sleep in the back on really rough hunts. So, yeah, I guess you’re right, I’m some liberal SUV freak.
@ TNTGMC,
WRONG!
A truck bed does not have plush carpeting, wiring, heating and a/c ducting. SUV's are NOT a pickup with a topper!
A truck has a bed that remains open to carry cargo, no seats, not rated to carry 4 or 5 passengers where the bed is located.
If it has seat belts where the bed should be, it is NOT a truck!
Sugar coat it all you want, a truck bed does NOT have seats with seatbelts and airbags in it and is cutoff from the cab!
Once you cut the cab off from the bed, it is an SUV, not a truck!
@ James,
Who cares about engine numbers, an SUV is NOT a truck!
A truck does not have seats and seatbelts where the bed should be located nor an open concept where the cab and rear are joined. A truck has a cab and the bed is cutoff from the cab!
A truck vs an SUV:
Can you ride your tractor mower into the back of an SUV? NO!
You would cut your head off, ruin your rear carpeting, seat belt mounts, etc... and you will have to explain all of the loose grass in your cabin floating around and better hope your fuel can does not leak because you would have to smell that likewise!
A truck does not have those issues. Just load it up because the cab is cutoff from the bed. No fuel or loose grass floating around!
If you have a topper or bed cover, those simply can be removed to accept the full tractor mower with ease!
An SUV is NOT a truck!
Why do you care, and why does it upset you so, as to what others drive and spent THEIR money...Posted by: Brawndo | Sep 3, 2018
@Brawndo
Do my comments make you nervous?
I have yet to see a tractor mower inside an SUV to this day, now why is that?
Any SUV or Van with Body on frame construction is a truck.
@ oxi
U obviously didnt comprehend what any of us are saying.
ALL large SUV's have truck frames. They are built on same platform.
Heck the interiors were identical in most until the past couple years.
You can sugar coat it all u want but you are WRONG!
@Oxi
The "Truck" part is the rolling frame. A garbage truck doesn't have a bed and neither does a cement truck but they're both trucks. Besides, who died and made you governor of truckland? I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt in my last post but you've continued to post nonsense. You're in danger of becoming the next EcoboostRules.
If you drink, don't go near your vehicle.
Otherwise, you are not going near heaven and are going to hell.
Give up drinking altogether.
You all kill over 20,000 people every year.
So give up drinking, and get a life.
It is really quite simple.
A truck is a vehicle designed to transport cargo primarily, and people secondarily.
A car is a vehicle designed to transport people primarily, and cargo secondarily.
Those who cannot grasp that information may be emotionally caught up in colloquial terms.
Of course, many vehicles have been designed to do both tasks nearly equally nowadays, so that has contributed to much of the confusion. Ideally, one would look at the initial design and intent of the manufacturer, and also the general historical lineage of the product.
A deuce and a half is a truck and it was often used to transport people. The suburban was original a panel truck with seats added.
Longboat, I don't think the definition of what a truck is should be determined by archaic colloquialisms. We don't live there, we live now. And now trucks have many uses. A people mover like a suburban can carry a lawn crew while towing a utility trailer full of equipment. whereas a Santa Fe may not get that done.
I really do not know. I heard that SUV frames are different than the truck frames, but again I have no idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At TNTGMC I think that if they are different, it would only be in as much as it is necessary to accommodate an IRS. Otherwise, it seems financially unwise for a manufacturer to vary the designs too much.
@ MLS956
Thats the imposter trying to be funny. Whomever it is is very childish!
My username is always in Blue.
Thanks
I own two Tacoma's,
Posted by: oxi | Sep 3, 2018 9:27:57 AM
You see, this is the result of Liberal open border thinking. Allowing foreign manufacturers into the country.
A deuce and a half is a truck and it was often used to transport people. The suburban was original a panel truck with seats added.
Posted by: MLS956 | Sep 4, 2018
@MLS956
There are NO people in the military, (unless you count civilian contractors). In the military you have enlisted men and officers. No people.
Papajim, go back to bed you grumpy old man.
@papajim
C'Mon man! were already debating what a truck is and now your gonna add another log to the fire by debating what constitutes a person. It goes against my better judgement to follow you down this rabbit hole, but here it goes. A deuce and a half may carry wounded and or rescued civilians ie "people" in a wartime situation. The number of "people" would only count said civilians and of course not include enlisted men and officers. We good?
Only a lib eral would defend an SUV to be a truck! You can sugar coat it all you want, an SUV is an SUV, not a truck!
Grown men driving (owning) modern SUV's = lib eral mindset!
Men drive trucks, toxic mas culinity drive cool trucks!
Liberals drive gurly vehicles like SUV's!
My wife owns and drives a Subaru Crosstrek, that is a gurl vehicle and lib eral type of vehicle. I own two Tacoma's, those are trucks!
My brother owns a full-size Sequoia, no matter how much he talks tough about it, the thing is still an SUV, not a truck! Lib
erals will do anything to defend their stupidity as being just, but we all know the truth about that!
Posted by: oxi | Sep 3, 2018
Me thinks you have NO CLUE what Liberalism entails..
here read and learn
From wiki
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on liberty and equality.
Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but they generally support civil rights, democracy, secularism, gender and race equality, internationalism and the freedoms of speech, the press, religion and markets.
Liberalism became a distinct movement in the Age of Enlightenment, when it became popular among Western philosophers and economists.
Liberalism sought to replace the norms of hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, the divine right of kings and traditional conservatism with representative democracy and the rule of law.
Liberals also ended mercantilist policies, royal monopolies and other barriers to trade, instead promoting free markets.
Philosopher John Locke is often credited with founding liberalism as a distinct tradition, arguing that each man has a natural right to life, liberty and property, adding that governments must not violate these rights based on the social contract.
While the British liberal tradition has emphasised expanding democracy, French liberalism has emphasised rejecting authoritarianism and is linked to nation-building.
What’s a truck? What’s a liberal? What’s a person?
This is crazy! 🤪
@oxi
HP and TQ numbers are important as they translate the ability to accelerate a load and perform work. I’m all for being a Luddite when it is appropriate (didnt you read about my Suburban?), but don’t start comparing your Low payload Taco to ALL SUVs, you’re setting yourself up.
Btw,454, 4L85E, DANA 60, and 14 bolt full floater have NOTHING to do with engine output, but are rather designations of upgraded equipment. You see, you claim all SUVs are liberal mobiles.
I presented direct evidence of SUVs vastly more capable than Your Tacoma. You cannot refute, so you say “who cares?”.
Do you remember when you said you added leafs and made your Tacoma a 1-ton? Bring your 1-ton Taco over to Show Low, AZ. Let’s run down 260 and 87 into Mesa, then back up the mountain. We’ll load your Taco with 2,000 lbs of rocksalt and my Suburban with the same. You know what, I will even tow my 2,200 lbs 20’ car trailer empty, so when you smoke your Taco, I can tow you back up to my ranch house. What do you say? You in? How about this, a towing contest. My wife’s SUV vs your Tacoma. Say, 7,200 lbs? Oops, too high. 6800 lbs? Oh, a little lower...how about 6,400 lbs? I guess I can put 800 lbs of rocksalt behind the seats to make it “fair”.
Yeah... btw, do you even know what the “section modulus of a frame” means?
@MLS956
Oxi is a curious cat.
He thinks every SUV is a Mazda CX-7 or RAV4.
He has no idea that GM 3/4 ton subribans are tough, or that the GMT400 and GMT800 3/4 Subs are absolute BEASTS.
He believes Tacoma’s are the end-all and lives in a state of perpetual cognitive dissonance.
Posted by: James | Sep 5, 2018 2:40:53 AM - that was brutal.
Do you remember when you said you added leafs and made your Tacoma a 1-ton?
“Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” Fyodor Dostoyevsky
wow!
Yeah, I'm moving on from this thread. The Jeep scrambler thread is where I'll be until the next one drops. This one is like a bad fever dream.
MLS956
Sorry dude, but you have to be packing the correct gear to endure on this site.
A sense of humor is a key component in that package.
I tried to lighten things up a little regarding "people" versus men and officers and nobody took the bait but you. I admit the reference to Russian poets got a little deep so I responded Wow!
The comments to this entry are closed.