Do you think you are a good driver? You are a rarity in the northeast, and especially in Connecticut, according to a study that ranks this state near the bottom of the list for safe driving.
The 2017 Safe Driving Report report EverQuote released this week ranks Connecticut 49th and the only drivers ranked worse are those in Rhode Island.
The report says drivers in the Northeast tend to speed the most while also using their cell phones while drivers in Western and Midwestern states most closely adhere to driving laws.
Worst Driving States:
50. Rhode Island - overall safe driving score of 70
49. Connecticut - overall safe driving score of 71
48. Pennsylvania - overall safe driving score of 73
47. New Jersey - overall safe driving score of 73
46. New Hampshire - overall safe driving score of 74
Best Driving States:
1. Montana - overall safe driving score of 90
2. Wyoming - overall safe driving score of 89
3. Alaska - overall safe driving score of 88
4. South Dakota - overall safe driving score of 87
5. North Dakota - overall safe driving score of 87
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While Connecticut has a distracted driver law that makes it illegal to use handheld devices while driving, the report says 31 percent of Connecticut drivers use phones.
It also finds 53 percent of drivers sped, 20 percent accelerate aggressively, 33 percent brake harshly and 14 percent are involved in poor turning.
Of all the states in the Northeast, Vermont ranked best, with an overall score of 87.
The report looked at phone use, speeding, risky acceleration, hard braking and hard turning.
"It's clear that driving behavior differs significantly by region, but unfortunately cell phone use in each state remains unacceptably high," Seth Birnbaum, CEO of EverQuote, said in a statement. "It's our hope that as more people monitor their own driving habits, everyone in the country will be able to improve their skills. Our goal is for the data to shed light on regional differences, empowering those in every state to be alert to the common bad habits and avoid costly and dangerous accidents."
EverQuote said its the EverDrive app uses GPS, an accelerometer, device screen on/off and gyroscope from the phone to measure and rank driving skills.
