- Wyoming is the state with the most retired speed junkies, with 14 speed junkie drivers for every 10,000 seniors.
- South Carolina is second, with over 1,000 fatal accidents involving seniors in five years.
- Texas stands out with the largest senior population in the top 10 and the most car accidents involving seniors, amounting to 3,484 in five years.
The senior driver population has grown significantly over the past few decades, with a 43% increase in just ten years (2012-2022) and a 68% increase since 2000. This growth trend is expected to continue as the U.S. population ages. A recent study by Hasbrook & Hasbrook Personal Injury Lawyers analyzed traffic accident data across the U.S. to rank the states with the most retired speed junkies. The research examined NHTSA and U.S. Census Bureau databases, comparing fatal accidents involving both senior drivers and speeding violations. The number of retirees in each state was used to normalize the data, and the final index highlights how common fatal speeding incidents are among older drivers relative to the retiree population.
Here is the summary of the findings:
| State | Accidents Involving Seniors | Number of Seniors (65+ age) | Speed Junkies per 10K Seniors |
| Wyoming | 146 | 103.6K | 14.09 |
| South Carolina | 1,020 | 970K | 10.52 |
| Arizona | 1,376 | 1.4M | 10.23 |
| New Mexico | 397 | 392K | 10.12 |
| Alaska | 91 | 96.2K | 9.46 |
| Montana | 204 | 216.2K | 9.43 |
| Texas | 3,484 | 3.9M | 8.95 |
| Missouri | 889 | 1M | 8.19 |
| Colorado | 638 | 878.8K | 7.26 |
| Utah | 265 | 384.2K | 6.89 |
You can access the full study findings by following this link.
The U.S. state with the most retired speed junkies is Wyoming, with 14 senior drivers involved in speeding accidents per 10K. As a state with a small population, Wyoming has only 146 fatal accidents that involved both speeding and senior drivers, but it still amounts to the highest rate in the U.S.
South Carolina takes 2nd place in the list of the states with the most retired speed junkies, with 10.5 senior drivers involved in speeding fatal accidents. The state has almost a million senior residents, and in the last 5 years, there were 1,020 fatal speeding accidents with senior drivers in the state.
Arizona closely follows South Carolina with third place and 10.2 speed junkies among 10K seniors. While most states in the ranking saw a rise in senior-related accidents, Arizona went from 80 to 73 speeding fatal accidents annually, improving road safety over the course of the last few years.
New Mexico ranks fourth, with 10.1 speed junkies per 10K senior residents, similar to Arizona and South Carolina. With 392K seniors in the state, New Mexico had 397 speeding fatal accidents with senior drivers in the last 5 years.
Alaska is fifth in the list of the U.S. states with the most speeding senior drivers. There are 9.46 speed junkies for every 10,000 seniors in Alaska, and 91 fatal accidents happened here in the last 5 years that involved both speeding and a senior driver.
Montana holds sixth place, with a speed junkie index of 9.42 for seniors. The state has a little over 216K seniors, and in the last five years, there were 204 fatal accidents where older drivers decided to break the speeding laws.
In seventh place is Texas, with 8.9 speed junkies per 10K seniors. The state has the biggest senior population in the top 10, with 3.8 million people over 65. With this many seniors, Texas also had the most fatal speeding accidents involving older drivers, at 3,484.
Missouri takes eighth place, with 8.1 speeding accidents among senior drivers. In the last 5 years, the state saw 889 fatal accidents that involved both speeding and senior drivers. The number of these accidents rose in recent years from 45 to 51, highlighting the importance of road safety.
Colorado is ninth, getting an index of 7.2. The state has a senior population of 878K, and in the last five years, there were 638 accidents involving speeding older drivers.
Utah closes the ranking of the states with the most retired speed junkies with tenth place and 6.8 senior accidents per 10K. The senior population in Utah is similar to New Mexico, with 384K, but the number of speeding accidents is much lower, with 265 in the last 5 years.
Clayton Hasbrook from Hasbrook & Hasbrook Personal Injury Lawyers commented on the study: “The data on senior speeding challenges popular assumptions about risk and road safety, revealing a complex interplay between age, driving behavior, and regional factors. While media attention often focuses on age-related driving impairments, this geographical pattern of “speed junkie” seniors suggests that driving habits established in youth may persist into retirement, with environmental factors and local driving cultures potentially playing a more significant role for America’s rapidly growing elderly driver population.”