If you’re planning to be out and about on U.S. roadways this Labor Day holiday weekend, take extra care. The roadways can be deadly depending on where you live.
As a NH resident the following headline sure got my interest. More details were needed like who, what, where did this info come from?
New Hampshire Found Most Dangerous Place in America to Drive on Labor Day
This headline was read in a recent copy in the Hudson Times, a weekly area paper. The article stated that per data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), NH leads the country with the highest Labor Day driving fatality rate, 17.09 incidents per 100,000 residents.
Being a somewhat curious and skeptical person, and a former reporter, I needed to learn more, so (once again) fell into the rabbit hole of online sleuthing. There certainly is a lot of information available. What I learned was interesting, but often contradictory .
That newspaper article stated that research had been compiled by a law office based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to determine the states safest for holiday drivers. This firm is based in Waterbury, CT, and other locations in that state, handling immigration and personal injury.
According to the article, the top five deadliest states for Labor Day driving ranked by road fatalities per 100,000 population were: New Hampshire (17.09), Wyoming (9.72), Arkansas (7.86), New Mexico (6.71) and Mississippi (6.31). It further stated (not sure why) that Easter was not the deadliest driving day in Wyoming, and that it was Father's Day was the deadliest holiday in third-ranked Arkansas.
Seeking further confirmation online, I typed in various searched using words like: Labor Day weekend auto injuries and fatalities. That brought up a slew of websites of legal firms with auto fatality statistics on this holiday weekend and others too.
These websites were not only in CT, but also DE, TX and PA and other states, nearly all specializing in — that’s right — liability and personal injury; none from NH. (No firms will be named here, information can be assessed online.)
Here's what I learned from a few of these sites.
Folks living live in Mississippi should be extra cautious on Labor Day weekend. One site named it first for highest traffic fatalities due to factors like low seatbelt usage and extensive cell phone use while driving. This site also listed higher Labor Day holiday fatalities in South Carolina, Alabama, Wyoming (relative to its population) and New Mexico (rural roads and less access to trauma centers).
The website of another legal firm listed Montana as having a high fatality rate per capita on Labor Day weekend. The states of Wyoming and Mississippi made that list too.
Another site also named New Mexico as the most dangerous state to drive in on Labor Day weekend. Furthermore, the state was cited as having the most pedestrian fatalities per capita and the fourth-most speeding fatalities. I could not completely verify this claim.
And, that site's rundown for the 10 most dangerous states in order after New Mexico were: Mississippi, Wyoming, South Carolina, Arizona, Montana, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas. (It claimed that Mississippi has the highest U.S. fatality (24.57 per 100,000). Again, just the site's information.
The study listed the 10 safest holiday driving states as: New York (again), Massachusetts, Utah, Hawaii, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Minnesota, D.C., New Hampshire (after being named the worst in another study?) and Connecticut.
A PA-based legal firm claimed that more people would die in motor vehicle accidents on Labor Day than other day with the exception of Independence Day.
That firm cited its study, Safest and Most Dangerous States to Drive for Labor Day Weekend, based on data available from the NHTSA, FBI and Census Bureau, naming New Mexico and Mississippi as the most dangerous states to drive in. The safest state to drive on the Labor Day holiday was said to be New York (based on info from NY accident attorney lawyers).
Here’s the same site's rundown for the 10 most dangerous states in order: New Mexico, Mississippi, Wyoming, South Carolina, Arizona, Montana, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas. (It claimed that Mississippi has the highest U.S. fatality (24.57 per 100,000). Again, just the site's contention.
The study listed the 10 safest holiday driving states as: New York (again), Massachusetts, 
Utah, Hawaii, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Minnesota, D.C., New Hampshire (after being named the worst in another study?) and Connecticut.
Utah, Hawaii, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Minnesota, D.C., New Hampshire (after being named the worst in another study?) and Connecticut.
Confusing? Yes, because of these widespread variations and there's more.
There was also information from the car accident experts at Auto Accident Team. It was listed as a free service compiling information for those seeking legal relief for auto accidents in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MI, MO, TX. According to the site, this was not a law firm or lawyer referral service and did not provide legal advice or endorse law firms in its network.
What state did the site list as the most dangerous?
Ready or not, it was Vermont. The Auto Accident Team experts claimed to have analyzed 9 years of fatal crash data (2013-2022) from the NHTSA, which lead to it naming Vermont, especially on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, when crashes were 58% above the state’s average, four weeks before and after Labor Day.
This site's top 10 dangerous holiday driving states in order of ranking were: Kansas (especially on Friday), Delaware (largest increase of drunk driving fatal crashes on Labor Day weekend), New Mexico (second highest increase in drunk driving, nationally), Oklahoma (with fatal crashes increasing by 29% over the weekend), Iowa (with an increase of 28%), Alaska, West Virginia, Wyoming and Idaho completed the list with increases from 26 to 23%.
The safest state named to drive on Labor Day weekend was Hawaii with a 16% decrease in fatal crashes. It’s one of 11 states with a holiday accident decrease and has the fourth lowest increase in drunk driving rates on Labor Day weekend.
Another online article labelled the states of Wyoming, Montana and Mississippi as the most dangerous states for Labor Day weekend driving. While, the site conceded that the majority of fatalities occur in urban areas, these three states were named as the most dangerous — with nearly three times as many fatalities per capita as the U.S. as a whole.
It also listed Massachusetts, New Jersey and Washington as having the least holiday driving fatalities.
Analyzing data from several years ago (2017–2021), the NHTSA found that states of California, Texas and Florida had the highest rate of Labor Day accidents and fatalities due to population and number of cars. However, states like Montana and Wyoming have higher accident rates per capita (based on the number of residents).
While the majority of fatalities occur in urban areas. Wyoming, Montana, and Mississippi were listed quite often as the most dangerous states for driving with nearly three times as many fatalities per capita as the U.S. as a whole. On the flip side, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington were listed as having the fewest driving fatalities.
I don't know which state is the most dangerous/safest for motorists this upcoming holiday weekend. So many legal firms have online articles and data about holiday auto accidents and fatalities and not all (very few) agree.
What are some contributing factors?
The AAA website didn't include estimates for how many travelers are expected on roadways driving on the Labor Day holiday weekend. However, it noted that two recent 2025 holidays, Memorial Day and July 4, had record number of motorists on the roadways.
What makes Labor Day a dangerous time to drive?
Traditionally, summer holidays have the highest number of U.S. auto fatality rates. Many Americans celebrate Labor Day as the end of summer leading to higher road traffic and increased chances of accidents through factors such as: Impaired driving, heavy traffic and traffic congestion, speeding, fatigue and drowsy driving and increased nighttime driving.
Is Labor Day weekend the deadliest driving holiday in the U.S.?
I'm uncertain as the answer depends on which website, study or statistical data is believed to be the most creditable.
After reading through so many online data and statistics, it seems that the most dangerous state to drive on any holiday depends on so many factors: population, number of drivers and more. And, of course, the actions of the driver.
That said, we’re not taking any chances being on the roadways this Labor Day weekend.
Instead, we'll stay home enjoying outdoor walks or visiting friends in the mill apartments. We're not taking any changes that NH could be one of the most dangerous states to drive on Labor Day weekend.
We hope that all fellow U.S. bloggers and motorists everywhere enjoy a safe holiday too.
14 comments:
Stay safe everyone.
...we are staying put!
I can tell you that Ontario cops will be out in force roaming about this weekend. I'll be home.
interesting-we never go on the roads during any holidays-but when I was still working for the phone co and was younger I worked every holiday I could for the extra money back then we got 2 1/2 our pay on holidays. but now we always stay put Happy Labor Day
Stay safe, everyone 🙏 ❤️
Very confusing statistics. If a lot of them are put out by insurance companies...How many people use those particular insurance companies and how big is the population of the various states. Too many variables--lol! Just be safe. Allie and I will be at the new home and I'm sick and not going anywhere. LOL!
So much depends on how the information is collected and if there's a vested interest. Hmmm. Anyway I don't go away on holidays, too much traffic!
Some roads are more dangerous than others, but in the last analysis the danger comes simply from motorists who drive recklessly and far too fast. I've had several near-misses from motorists driving at crazy speeds.
I sometimes wonder how some drivers ever passed their driver’s test.
There are so many people on the roads here that shouldn't be! The amount of times I've had a near miss because of someone! Scary isn't it!
We try to not travel around any holiday. Unfortunately, my son moved to Chicago, so he will be traveling to see us this weekend.
We always feel we take our lives in our hands when we travel on the roads here. Stay safe you two!
Although we live right at the border to South Dakota (and Nebraska) I will stay home for the holiday.
Stay safe this weekend !!
I have never been big on statistics. Seems they can be bent to whatever one wants them to prove. Funny that California isn't on the list, especially Southern CA. Driving there takes years off my life every time.
Its all very interesting and I sure love how you delve into things to get the most complete answers.
Sue
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