The study conducted by Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, draws on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System records from 2019 to 2023 for interstate rollover crashes. Rates use Federal Highway Administration vehicle-miles-traveled data to rank states from safest to most dangerous.
New York Among the Ten Safest States Nationally
| Rank | State | Fatal Rollover Rate per 100M VMT | Total Crashes (2019-2023) |
| 1 | Hawaii | 0.01 | 6 |
| 2 | New York | 0.01 | 79 |
| 3 | New Jersey | 0.02 | 68 |
| 4 | Minnesota | 0.02 | 53 |
| 5 | Maine | 0.02 | 15 |
| 6 | Maryland | 0.02 | 65 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 0.03 | 81 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 0.03 | 17 |
| 9 | Delaware | 0.03 | 13 |
| 10 | Indiana | 0.03 | 117 |
New York’s precise rate of 0.01389 places it second nationally, just behind Hawaii at 0.01188, with New Jersey trailing at 0.01830. Seventy-nine fatal crashes across five years on one of America’s most heavily traveled networks is an outcome no comparable state matches. Indiana, at rank 10, recorded 117 crashes over the same period on a lower annual volume.
Looking at the Study, Chrissy Grigoropoulos, Founder of Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, Commented:
“New York proves that a high-volume interstate system does not have to be a dangerous one. Carrying over 113 billion vehicle miles a year at a rate nearly 14 times lower than Wyoming is no accident. It reflects deliberate choices in road design, speed management, and enforcement that compress rollover risk to levels the rest of the country should study closely. The data should prompt every state with elevated rates to ask what structural decisions are costing lives per mile.”
Northeast Regional Comparison
| State | Fatal Rate per 100M VMT | Safety Rank (National) | Total Crashes (2019-2023) |
| New York | 0.01 | 2 | 79 |
| New Jersey | 0.02 | 3 | 68 |
| Maine | 0.02 | 5 | 15 |
| New Hampshire | 0.03 | 8 | 17 |
| Massachusetts | 0.03 | 16 | 103 |
| Vermont | 0.04 | 17 | 12 |
| Rhode Island | 0.04 | 20 | 14 |
| Pennsylvania | 0.04 | 19 | 175 |
| Connecticut | 0.04 | 24 | 65 |
New York leads the Northeast with a fatal rollover rate of 0.01, less than half the rate of Connecticut and Pennsylvania at 0.04. The regional average stands at 0.03 per 100 million VMT, placing New York well below the Northeast benchmark. Even low-traffic states like Vermont post higher rates, showing that lower volume alone does not ensure lower risk.
New York Versus High VMT States Nationally
| State | Avg Annual VMT (millions) | Fatal Rate per 100M VMT | Safety Rank |
| California | 316,665 | 0.05 | 33 |
| Texas | 285,013 | 0.05 | 32 |
| Florida | 223,820 | 0.04 | 21 |
| Georgia | 124,998 | 0.04 | 22 |
| North Carolina | 117,638 | 0.03 | 11 |
| New York | 113,756 | 0.01 | 2 |
| Pennsylvania | 98,714 | 0.04 | 19 |
New York carries 113,756 million vehicle miles annually, yet maintains a rollover rate far lower than large states like California and Texas. States with similar or higher traffic volumes, such as North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, record significantly higher rates. The contrast shows that traffic volume alone does not determine rollover risk.
Methodology
This analysis used the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System to identify all fatal crashes from 2019 through 2023 on Interstate Highway System routes involving a rollover. Interstate vehicle miles traveled for the same period were sourced from FHWA Highway Statistics and averaged across the five-year window. The primary metric, fatal interstate rollover crash rate per 100 million VMT, was calculated as average annual fatal crashes divided by average annual VMT multiplied by 100,000,000. All 50 states are ranked 1 (safest) to 50 (most dangerous) on this basis.
Data Sources
- NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS): https://cdan.dot.gov/query
- Research Dataset: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dsRMM6jJPL84nqZcjyLzuWXFmVotuQKIxVMkG-R012U/edit?usp=sharing
- Study By: https://grigorlaw.com/
About Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers
Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers is New York’s premier all-injury law firm, focusing on car crashes and serious injury cases. The firm pairs courtroom experience with independent traffic safety research to inform the public and support safer roads.