New York Officially Ranks as the #1 Safest State for Teen Drivers

Hold onto your seatbelts because you won't believe what a new report is saying about New York's youngest drivers.

Most of us remember how we felt when we celebrated our sweet 16th. After blowing out our birthday candles, it's likely we were thinking about the ultimate rite of passage: getting a car.

How ecstatic were you when you finally earned your driver's license? All the studying, hours of driving practice, and countless lectures ended with us smiling awkwardly at the DMV camera -- and cringing at the horrible photo plastered on the shiny, plastic license.

Still, most of us took the privilege seriously and now consider ourselves to be decent drivers.

But where can you find the nation's best and worst teen drivers? Prepared to be stunned if you think New York wound up on the bad side.

Then again, how many studies have had nasty things to say about how we act behind the wheel?

Read More: Americans Say New York Drivers Are Among Nation's Worst

While we can only reflect so much on our own driving habits, a new report says that our state has the most responsible and intelligent young drivers on the road.

According to WalletHub, teens from the Empire State set a positive example for the rest of the country.

NY Teens Among Nation's Best

Crazy to think a state internationally known for having terrible drivers has a decent track record when it comes to the youngest residents behind the wheel.

In fact, our state is the safest places for kids to obtain their license.

This is especially important since motor vehicle accidents continue to be among the leading cause of death among those aged 16 to 19. According to most recent data, nearly 3,000 teenagers lost their lives in car crashes in 2020.

It's also been found that crashes involving teen drivers cost the national economy $49.7 billion annually, such as covering work loss and medical expenses. Apparently the number is even higher if you include items like insurance premiums, traffic citations and repairs.

Read More: Central NY City Rated Among Nation's Best for Cyclists

Using data involving 23 key metrics related to teen drivers; such as driving fatalities per capita, average cost of car repairs, and laws on the books, WalletHub ranked New York #1 out of all 50 states; plus the District of Columbia.

WalletHub found New York was the #1 in terms of safety, and had the 2nd lowest teen driver fatalities per capita.

Additionally, the state had the second-best driving laws in the nation.

But not everything was rainbows and sunshine, however, because New York ranked 24th when it came to economic environment.

The latter category covered the maximum cost of certain traffic infractions and fines related to teen-driving accidents as well as how much insurances increase a parent's premium after a crash.

It also included cost of repairs and gas prices - and the latter may be why we sank like a stone in the latest roundup.

Read More: Why Are Gas Prices Going up in New York All of a Sudden?

WalletHub used data from official sources, such as the U.S. Census Bureau, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Governors Highway Safety Association, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Hhow do you feel about the state of our teen drivers - do you think they got it right? Let us know.

You can also check out WalletHub's interactive map to see how we compared to the rest of the nation.

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