Study: Utah, California home of the U.S.'s worst drivers

Ask any big rig operator or parcel delivery van driver about the biggest challenges they face in their jobs, and you'll probably hear about potholes, congestion, and having to share the roads with lousy drivers.

If that driver operates mainly in the state of Utah, that last complaint may be legitimate. In a recent survey that ranked the best- and worst-driving states in the nation, the Beehive State had the poorest showing of the 50 states.

The study, which was conducted by Seattle-based online insurance comparison marketplace QuoteWizard, graded every state by tallying the probability of total accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs, citations, and fatalities. "QuoteWizard analyzed millions of datapoints on drivers from throughout the U.S.," Adam Johnson, the company's content manager, said in a release. "What we found provides a pretty interesting and sometimes surprising snapshot of the best and worst drivers in America."

So where are the best drivers to be found? Surprisingly, given its reputation for potholes and nor'easters, Rhode Island topped the list. "Extremely low fatalities per licensed drivers combined with good scores across the board mean that Rhode Islanders have plenty to be proud of," the company said in the release. The Ocean State was followed in the rankings by Florida, Mississippi, Michigan, Nevada, and Arkansas.

As for the state with the worst drivers, that dubious distinction went to Utah. "[Utah's drivers are] second in the rankings for both accidents and speeding, as well as fourth-worst for minor citations. Surprisingly for a state known for its nondrinking populace, Utah actually made the top 10 for DUIs, coming in at number nine," the company said. Utah was followed by California, Virginia, Maine, Nebraska, and South Carolina.