Illinois is the most dangerous state for commuting, with 11.4 fatal crashes for every 10,000 commuters.- Nevada residents use public transit the most in the top 10, with 2.9%.
- Florida has the longest commute time in the top 10, with an average travel time of 28 minutes.
Commuters in the U.S. lose an average of 43 hours a year—equal to a full work week—sitting in traffic, according to the 2025 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard. Morning and evening rush hours remain especially risky due to fatigue, distractions, and congestion. A recent study by Hasbrook & Hasbrook Personal Injury Lawyers analyzed commuting data across the U.S. to identify the states where commuting puts people at greatest risk. The research compared states across key characteristics, including the total number of crashes for a 5-year period, average commute time, and the number of people who use public transport. Data from NHTSA and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was used for the final ranking, which calculated crashes per 10K commuters.
Here is the summary of the findings:
| State | Commute Time (Minutes) | Crashes per 10K commuters |
| Illinois | 21 | 11.4 |
| Wisconsin | 18 | 11.2 |
| Vermont | 23 | 7.1 |
| Tennessee | 25 | 4.4 |
| Nevada | 25 | 3.7 |
| Oklahoma | 22 | 3.3 |
| Florida | 28 | 3.2 |
| Indiana | 24 | 3.1 |
| Kentucky | 24 | 2.9 |
| Mississippi | 25 | 2.8 |
You can access the full research findings by following this link.
The state where commuting puts you at the greatest risk is Illinois, with 11.4 fatal crashes per 10K commuters. As in most states, people use personal transport to go to work, and only 0.8% of people in Illinois use public transportation.
Wisconsin is second in the list of the U.S. states where commuting puts you at greater risk, with 11.2 crashes. The state has the shortest commute time in the top 10, with only 18 minutes on average to get to work. Compared to Wisconsin, more people use public transportation, with 1.2%, the third-highest rate in the ranking, and commute by carpool more often.
Vermont ranks third, having 7.1 accidents per 10K commuters. People use public transportation here similarly to Illinois, with 0.9%, but less people use personal vehicles to get to work at 75.4%. When it comes to travel time, work commute in Vermont takes longer than in Illinois and Wisconsin, amounting to 23 minutes on average.
Tennessee comes in fourth, with 4.4 accidents during commute, 2.5 times less often than in Illinois. The state has one of the longest commute times at 25 minutes, showing why only 0.6% of the people in Tennessee travel by public transport.
Nevada is fifth in the ranking of the U.S. states where commuting puts you at greater risk, with 3.7 accidents per 10K commuters. In the last five years, there were 17 fatal accidents in the state. At the same time, Nevada also has the most people using public transport in the top 10, with 2.9%.
Oklahoma takes sixth spot, getting 3.3 fatal accidents per 10K commuters. Only 0.5% of the state residents use public transport, similar to Tennessee, but the commute time is usually faster in Oklahoma, taking only 22 minutes.
Florida closely follows Oklahoma with seventh place and 3.2 accidents. Compared to all states in the top 10, Florida has the longest commute time at 28 minutes. In the last 5 years there were 54 fatal accidents during the commute, more than in every state, due to a big working force and 1.7% of commuters using public transportation.
Indiana is eighth, where 3.1 fatal accidents happen per 10K commuters. Similar to Vermont, only 0.9% of state residents use public transport, while the average commute to work takes 24 minutes.
Kentucky holds ninth place, with 2.9 accidents. The commute time here is similar to Indiana and, comparably, 1% of all residents use public transit. Overwhelmingly, most Kentucky residents use personal vehicles with 82.4%.
Mississippi closes the ranking of the U.S. states where commuting puts you at greatest risk with tenth place and 2.8 accidents. Just as in Tennessee and Nevada, it takes 25 minutes to get to work, but only 0.3% of Mississippi residents use public transport, the lowest rate in the top 10.
Clayton Hasbrook from Hasbrook & Hasbrook Personal Injury Lawyers commented on the study: “The accident statistics show a concerning pattern where states heavily reliant on personal vehicles face significantly higher commuter risk profiles. The connection between car dependency, extended travel times, and elevated crash incidents highlights a critical infrastructure challenge facing American communities.”