Michigan Beat Out Alaska as the Worst State For Winter Driving

First comes the frost.

Next comes that four-letter word that's gonna stick around for a bit and make our lives a little more insufferable (through the holidays and well into the next year).

Get our free mobile app

Winter doesn't even really start until we're well into December. Chances are by then, we'll have already seen our first snowfall.

No matter how long folks have lived here, we all seem like fresh winter road rookies when that first snow hits. We absolutely forget how to drive. It's like, "what is all this white stuff and why shouldn't I go as fast as possible on it because I have a truck"? First snow hits and we have slide-offs, crazy accidents, and people driving either way too slow or (even worse) way too fast.

You'd assume shortly after the first snowfall, we'd get it together.

Nope. Not happening. Not by a longshot.

Michigan is bad for winter driving. Really bad.

As drivers and as a state, we don't improve as winter gets further along. We get worse. Way worse.

As a matter of fact, when it comes to Most Dangerous States for Winter Driving, we take the cake.

Michigan is number ONE when it comes to this list. We even beat out Alaska.

MoneyGeek analyzed data from the NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System for 2017–2019 and found that when road conditions included sleet, snow, blowing snow or freezing drizzle, Michigan had the highest fatality rate. The top 10 most dangerous states for winter driving are:

1. Michigan
2. Alaska
3. Wyoming
4. Ohio
5. Pennsylvania
6. Montana
7. Wisconsin
8. South Dakota
9. Nebraska
10. Illinois (moneygeek)

How is that possible?

I know it can't be because of this.

Everybody does that. Right?

We have more roads than Alaska (even though they have more state). They have way more animals to hit on icy roads too (moose and bears) and you would have to think their winters are worse right?

I mean look.

Wait a second. What we don't see is a bunch of cars. Maybe we get top rankings as the most dangerous state for winter driving compared to Alaska because we have more roads and cars.

And they have more...

Seems legit.