Why is Nevada Among the Top States for Ignoring Traffic Signs?

Nevada ranks 8th among states most likely to ignore traffic signs

Iowa leads with the highest percentage of fatal crash drivers failing to obey traffic signs, at 7.67%.
Wisconsin and Illinois follow, where 7.31% and 6.8% of drivers in fatal crashes disregard traffic signals.
Minnesota and Delaware also make the top five states.

A new study has revealed the states where drivers are least likely to obey traffic signs.

The research, conducted by Florida personal injury lawyers Anidjar & Levine, analyzed the latest available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2017 and 2021. It calculated the percentage of drivers in each state who were recorded as failing to obey traffic signs, traffic control devices, traffic officers, or failing to obey safety zone traffic laws.

Iowa tops the list with the worst rate of all 50 states. Out of 2,347 drivers involved in fatal crashes, 180 failed to obey traffic signs, leading the nation with a non-compliance rate of 7.67%. The number is close to double the national average, which stands at 4.06%, based on 10,992 drivers, out of a total of 271,028 in fatal crashes, failing to obey signs.

Wisconsin ranks second, with 301 drivers involved in fatal crashes disregarding traffic signs, translating to 7.31% of the total 4,120 drivers in fatal incidents.

In third place is Illinois, where the study found that between 2017 and 2021, 547 of the 8,048 drivers involved in fatal crashes, or 6.80%, failed to obey traffic signs.

Minnesota takes the fourth spot, with 187 out of 2,803 drivers, or 6.67%, involved in fatal crashes who did not comply with traffic signs.

The top five is rounded out by Delaware, with a non-compliance rate of 6.61% over the five-year period that was measured, equating to 59 of the 892 drivers involved in fatal crashes failing to obey traffic signs.

Michigan stands at sixth place with 5.94%, reflecting 450 of the 7,576 drivers involved in fatal crashes. Kansas follows at seventh, with 5.82% or 169 out of 2,903 drivers.

Nevada's eighth place shows 139 out of 2,403 drivers, marking a 5.78% non-compliance rate. Indiana, ranking ninth, has 5.49% or 350 out of 6,375 drivers, and South Dakota closes the top ten list with 42 of the 806 drivers, resulting in a 5.21% non-compliance rate.

A spokesperson for Anidjar & Levine commented on the study's findings, stating: “On a national scale, the study reveals a significant issue with compliance to traffic signs in fatal crashes. Out of the 271,028 drivers involved in deadly collisions, 10,992 failed to obey traffic signs, constituting a national non-compliance rate of 4.06%. This percentage represents a considerable number of preventable incidents that contribute to the overall fatality rate on the roads.”

Rank	State	Number of fatal crashes attributed to failing to obey traffic signs (2017 - 2021)	Percentage of all fatal crashes attributed to failing to obey traffic signs (2017 - 2021)
1.	Iowa	180	7.67%
2.	Wisconsin	301	7.31%
3.	Illinois	547	6.80%
4.	Minnesota	187	6.67%
5.	Delaware	59	6.61%
6.	Michigan	450	5.94%
7.	Kansas	169	5.82%
8.	Nevada	139	5.78%
9.	Indiana	350	5.49%
10.	South Dakota	42	5.21%

Source Link: https://www.anidjarlevine.com

Sources: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Methodology:

The study analyzed data on drivers involved in fatal crashes who failed to obey traffic signs across each U.S. states, using data on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2017 and 2021.

The following filter was applied to the data:

Filter Selected: Related Factors-Driver: Failure to Obey Actual Traffic Signs, Traffic Control Devices, or Traffic Officers. Failure to Obey Safety Zone Traffic Laws; Person Type: Driver

The percentage of non-compliant drivers was calculated against the total number of drivers involved in fatal crashes to determine state rankings.