These Are America’s Safest States For Teen Drivers In 2025, New Study Reveals

A new study by Davidoff Law Personal Injury Lawyers has ranked the safest states for teen drivers. The research analyzed key safety metrics, including population, registered vehicles, and the number of young drivers (ages 15-20). Additional factors, such as teen fatal crash data, the percentage of teen-caused fatal crashes, and road infrastructure conditions, were taken into account to calculate each state’s safety score.

Did your state make the list? Here are the top-ranked states for safest teen driving.

According to the study, New Hampshire wins as the safest state in the U.S. for teenage drivers. With a safety score of 98.8, the state tops the list due to its low rate of teen-involved fatal crashes and high-quality road infrastructure.

According to the research, teenage drivers in New Hampshire were responsible for only 6.6% of the state’s 137 fatal crashes, demonstrating the lowest rate of teen-caused fatal accidents among all states analyzed. This, coupled with well-maintained roads, contributes to New Hampshire’s number-one ranking.

Rhode Island secured the second spot on the list with a safety score of 97.2. Despite having over 24,500 young drivers, the state recorded just 2.5 licensed teens involved in fatal accidents. Additionally, Rhode Island had the lowest fatal crash rate among registered vehicles at 0.07 per 10,000.

Close behind, Vermont ranked third with a safety score of 96.2. The study found that only 6.7% of the state’s 16,000 young drivers were involved in fatal crashes. The state’s high-quality road infrastructure further solidified its position among the top three safest states.

Haven't seen your state yet? Here's some more in the top ten.

• Maryland ranked fourth with a safety score of 91.5. In a state with over five million residents, only 9% of fatal crashes involved teen drivers, with a teen fatality rate of 7.3 per 10,000 licenses.
• New Jersey followed in fifth place, scoring 87.4. While its teen fatality rate was lower than Maryland’s at 5.4, the percentage of fatal crashes caused by teens was slightly higher at 9%.
• West Virginia came in sixth with a safety score of 85.9. The state, home to 52,000 young drivers, recorded a 7.3% teen-involved fatal crash rate. However, its road quality ranking contributed to its position behind New Jersey.
• Minnesota secured the seventh spot with a safety score of 83.6, boasting the second-highest road infrastructure quality behind only New Hampshire. The state recorded a remarkably low fatality rate of 3.8 per 10,000 licensed teens, despite its population exceeding 5.7 million.
• Oregon ranked eighth with a safety score of 82.1, with 8.7% of fatal crashes involving teenage drivers. Though its percentage of teen-related crashes was lower than Minnesota’s, Oregon’s overall safety score was affected by road infrastructure rankings.
• Hawaii took the ninth position with a safety score of 81.6. The state reported a fatal crash rate of 8.3 per 10,000 licensed teens, the same as Oregon. However, road conditions played a role in ranking Hawaii below Oregon.
• Rounding out the top ten, Washington earned a safety score of 80.9. While it had better road quality than Hawaii, Washington reported a relatively high percentage of teen-related fatal crashes at 10.4%, contributing to its placement at the bottom of the top-ten list.

Here's how the rankings shook out: 

• New Hampshire

  • Road Rank: 1
  • Teen Fatalities per 10K Licenses: 4.0
  • % Fatal Crashes Caused by Teens: 6.6%
  • Teen Fatal Crashes per 10K Vehicles: 0.11
  • Safety Score: 98.8

• Rhode Island

  • Road Rank: 49
  • Teen Fatalities per 10K Licenses: 2.5
  • % Fatal Crashes Caused by Teens: 7.8%
  • Teen Fatal Crashes per 10K Vehicles: 0.07
  • Safety Score: 97.2

• Vermont

  • Road Rank: 3
  • Teen Fatalities per 10K Licenses: 6.7
  • % Fatal Crashes Caused by Teens: 9.6%
  • Teen Fatal Crashes per 10K Vehicles: 0.19
  • Safety Score: 96.2

• Maryland

  • Road Rank: 14
  • Teen Fatalities per 10K Licenses: 7.3
  • % Fatal Crashes Caused by Teens: 9.0%
  • Teen Fatal Crashes per 10K Vehicles: 0.17
  • Safety Score: 91.5

• New Jersey

  • Road Rank: 24
  • Teen Fatalities per 10K Licenses: 5.4
  • % Fatal Crashes Caused by Teens: 9.3%
  • Teen Fatal Crashes per 10K Vehicles: 0.17
  • Safety Score: 87.4

• West Virginia

  • Road Rank: 37
  • Teen Fatalities per 10K Licenses: 6.0
  • % Fatal Crashes Caused by Teens: 7.3%
  • Teen Fatal Crashes per 10K Vehicles: 0.21
  • Safety Score: 85.9

• Minnesota

  • Road Rank: 2
  • Teen Fatalities per 10K Licenses: 3.8
  • % Fatal Crashes Caused by Teens: 13.2%
  • Teen Fatal Crashes per 10K Vehicles: 0.18
  • Safety Score: 83.6

• Oregon

  • Road Rank: 21
  • Teen Fatalities per 10K Licenses: 8.3
  • % Fatal Crashes Caused by Teens: 8.7%
  • Teen Fatal Crashes per 10K Vehicles: 0.23
  • Safety Score: 82.1

• Hawaii

  • Road Rank: 50
  • Teen Fatalities per 10K Licenses: 8.3
  • % Fatal Crashes Caused by Teens: 7.2%
  • Teen Fatal Crashes per 10K Vehicles: 0.18
  • Safety Score: 81.6

• Washington

  • Road Rank: 34
  • Teen Fatalities per 10K Licenses: 6.0
  • % Fatal Crashes Caused by Teens: 10.4%
  • Teen Fatal Crashes per 10K Vehicles: 0.18
  • Safety Score: 80.9

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