LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada drivers rank near the top for being the nation's best, according to a recent study.
The study released by QuoteWizard Insurance News ranked Nevada drivers sixth best in the United States.
The company said it calculated the numbers by using accident, citation, drunken driving, speeding and fatality statistics.
13 Action News spoke with local traffic experts about this study. They disagreed with its findings.
"We don't have some of the best drivers in the United States in Las Vegas," said Erin Breen.
Breen is with UNLV's Transportation Research Center. She tracks fatalities on the roads of Clark County.
"We had the worst year in a decade for fatalities in 2018," Breen said.
According to the Office of Traffic Safety, 226 people died on the roads of Clark County in 2018. The year before 208 people died.
Breen says we can all be safer on the roads.
"The two things that will save your life are time and distance," she said.
Practicing defensive driving is essential. Don't just look at the bumper in front of you but instead look to the six or seven cars ahead.
Safer roads will also have a positive impact on the price of car insurance.
The Nevada Division of Insurance confirms there has been a rate increase in the southern part of the state.
According to the QuoteWizard study, Michigan drivers were ranked as the best followed by Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Illinois.
Maine has the worst drivers in the nation, according to the study, with South Carolina, Nebraska, California and North Dakota also at the bottom.
Car crashes are a leading cause of death in the US with an expected 40,000 deaths alone this year.
