Painter Stone
Staff Writer
According to Insurify Insights, a “team of data statistics and content specialists” that do research on behalf of the insurance company Insurify, Wyoming is ranked fourth nationwide for reckless driving.
The ranked list, published on Oct. 24, took data from states where people had been cited with ‘reckless driving’ while applying for a car insurance quote. This includes when ‘reckless driving’ was added onto driving tickets, including speeding and driving under the influence. The study compared each state’s number of reckless drivers per 10,000 licensed drivers, as well as the number of each state’s police officers per every 10,000 licensed driver.
Insurify Insights found the national average of reckless drivers is about 18 in every 10,000 drivers. Wyoming, however, had 40.9 reckless drivers per every 10,000 licensed drivers, a 126% increase from the national average. The only states that surpass Wyoming in reckless driving are Virginia, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Reckless drivers in Wyoming are subject to up to 6 months in jail and/or up to $750 dollars in fines as well as a surcharge of $150-$350. Wyoming is the only state in the country that includes a surcharge on reckless driving fines, and if given the maximum penalty, reckless drivers could be looking at $1,100 in fines.
“Insurance rates are accounted by the severity of the ticket,” a local insurance company, who asked to be anonymous, said.
“Reckless driving is a ticket that will adversely affect your insurance rate.”
The insurance representative said one of the reasons Wyoming may be so highly ranked in reckless driving was because of the long distances between towns.
They said the long drives “contribute to driver fatigue”. The insurance representative suggested when making plans to travel across the state, one should include ways of staying awake and alert. Other ways to avoid getting in trouble for reckless driving include going the speed limit, paying attention to stop lights and stop signs and being aware of your driving and surroundings.
