SALT LAKE CITY — What state would you say has the worst drivers in the country? Some would say California or New York — and then there’s Utah.

According to crash numbers from the Utah Department of Public Safety, Utah sees upwards of 60,000 crashes on its roads and freeways every year. However, we’re actually on pace to hit below that five-year average — right now, around 57,000.

But here’s the concerning part: As of the last week of October, Utah is on pace to have the worst year for injuries — more than 19,000 by the end of December. That’s 1,300 more than the average.

2021 could be the deadliest year as well with more than 300 fatalities — the five-year average is under 270.

These are just some of the reasons QuoteWizard ranked Utah as having the sixth-worst drivers in the country, based on a few simple metrics.

“Accidents, DUI, speeding and then citations,” said Nick VinZant with Quote Wizard. “Citations can include anything from texting and driving to not signaling when you’re making a left turn. What we found with the pandemic is that states that really seemed to suddenly become a lot worse were the more wide-open states.”

Utah certainly has a lot of those wide-open spaces to make bad driving decisions.

Have you heard of midwestern hospitality? VinZant said apparently, that doesn’t translate behind the wheel as Iowa took the top spot for the nation’s worst drivers.

Last year Utah and Iowa were listed 22nd and 23rd worst, respectfully. So the Beehive State has fallen faster than most states.

Keep in mind that the 2021 statistics are projections for our current pace.

Utah drivers can turn the tide if they commit to being safe when heading out to drive across our beautiful state because as of right now, there are too many people getting hurt and dying on Utah’s roads.

On average, 50 people get hurt every day and five people die each week due to crashes.