U.S. Crash Studies Reveal Stark State Safety Gaps on Urban Interstates and Young Truck Drivers

A study of urban interstate crashes from 2020‑2024 recorded more than 15,000 incidents nationwide. Crash rates varied eight‑fold between states, with Tennessee having the highest rate at 1.62 crashes per 100,000 residents and the lowest‑rate state at 0.19. Seven of the ten states with the highest rates are in the South. National urban interstate crashes peaked at 3,299 in 2021 before falling 14.7% to 2,814 in 2024, and 17 states logged more crashes in 2024 than in 2020.

A separate analysis of large‑truck crashes involving drivers under 26 (2022‑2026) found New York ranking 12th nationally with a severity score of 49.02. The state’s injury rate of 88.42% is the second‑highest in the country, accounting for 4.53% of all youth‑driver truck‑crash injuries nationwide. On average, more than 244 people are injured each year in New York’s young‑driver truck crashes, and over 90% of those crashes result in injury or fatality.