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CRASH GAP

Red States Have More Fatal Car Crashes Than Blue States

It's one of the lesser-known examples of the country's partisan divide

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by Dain Fitzgerald

Staff Writer t

Image: K2 Radio - Casper, Wyoming

So-called "red states" appear to deserve that moniker for reasons going beyond merely politics.

NBC informs us that states that went for Mitt Romney in the most recent presidential election were home to more fatal car crashes than states that chose President Obama. Ironically, Romney's own Massachusetts - a dyed-in-the-wool blue state - had the lowest number of deadly auto accidents with 4.79 road deaths per 100,000 people. Wyoming, Mississippi, and Arkansas had the highest numbers, at 27.46, 21.58 and 19.27, respectively. They're also among the most reliably Republican states in the union.

What accounts for the crash gap? Researchers speculate that differences in regulatory regimes between states and quicker access to trauma centers in Democratic-leaning locales go far in explaining much of it. Blue states are less rural, they note, so their citizens typically drive shorter distances or opt for slow-moving public transportation.

Via NBC and Fair Warning.
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What do you think accounts for the difference in car crash fatality rates between red states and blue states?

Comments (view in Forum)

  • mimi57
    !
    @srs606791163 Most likely due to the Red states suffering the most job losses. The South as a rule has always been the poorer states, ie., Mississippi, the Carolina's, Kentucky,etc. California is the richest state due to the
    high tech industries. My state, Ohio, was once the largest steel producers in the world, as well as having Packard
    Electric/ Hewitt, but have been outsourced and factories that once employed 17,000, now employee 150 or less.
    Ohio is a swing state, meaning it can go either...it went for Obama this year, we'll see how it goes next election.

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  • Real4WheelDrv
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    @woodtick57 Nah, but actually I know of a website that sells rims, lights, mod kits etc for wheelchairs. Someday if I have a good job and just want a play chair I might consider it.

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  • DerivePI
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    1. You don't have to drive to get your welfare check anymore.---
    2. Liberals are already dead.---
    3. Democrats are all unable to obtain Drivers Licenses (voter IDs).---
  • u
    Buckfan4life2
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    How many people even own cars in NYC and in LA then add the welfare bunch to that most don't own cars,yes I can see this to be true. Why does Politix and the Dems always try to make something out of nothing??????????
  • Denizen_Kate
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    Okay, I'll take that on . . . having grown up in L.A. and having lived in NYC for 10 years, please allow me to correct your error. I did not own a car while living in NYC because a place to park it was prohibitively expensive. In Los Angeles, however, EVERYBODY has a car because public transportation is an oxymoron there. I do agree that this entire article is an attempt to make a mountain out of a molehill.
  • MBernard
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    @buckfan4life2, Wow, talking about stuff you know nothing about huh, man, maybe you should visit NYC then I guarantee you that you'll never say that again. While it is true that many people don't own a car in NY, the majority of ppl there that owned cars are more than all the red states combined. That's the truth.
  • Post Removed by Moderators
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    hwyangel
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    I disagree with the first part. I have a friend with a retarded teenager and he is a very safe driver. But I absolutely agree with the second part. The southern states have been fighting with Obama on the illegal immigration issue for a long time now. Especially Texas and Arizona. Very high population of illegals that can't read English, are uninsured, and driving with too many people per vehicle. I have driven in Mexico and I won't do it again, it would be safer to do the ice road trucking, lol
  • jessejaymes
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    @hwyangel Oh yeah that has to be it. Illegals. WAIT!!! California has more illegals than the entire rest of the USA (excepting Texas) put together. Might not be it.

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  • u
    tomincali
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    thing about rednecks,when was the last time you have heard of a redneck crashing do to talking on his cb while driving. or it happening so much laws had to be made do to they cannot drive and talk at the same time.
  • u
    Hireman
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    "Blue states are less rural, they note, so their citizens typically drive shorter distances or opt for slow-moving public transportation." -- Ironic that this is left to the last part of the article, yet is one of the major contributors. Who writes this garbage?
  • o
    woodtick57
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    All kidding aside, rural areas have MUCH lower seat belt use, even is states as blue as MN. We had several very horrible accidents this last year where we lost many teens just toolin' down the county roads as teens are supposed to do in that part of the state, but none of the fatalities were wearing their seatbelts.

    a close friend of mine was in a head on last year olso on a county road and he is just starting to walk on his left leg now, and will do so soon because he was wearing his seatbelt.
  • NormalFlora
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    I think you nailed that one. I'm always furious at newscasters who report things like "Both passengers were ejected from the vehicle" without ending that sentence appropriately with "because they weren't wearing their seat belts." Blue states have always had strict enforcement of seatbelt laws, but red states choose to make seatbelt use a "suggestion." Darwin at work.
  • FollowTheMoney
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    This is what I was thinking as well. Red state seem to be more rural, where the roads aren't as safe as in urban areas. People in rural areas also seem to be more self reliant, therefor more right leaning.
  • jessejaymes
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    @NormalFlora While visiting in Oklahoma I was astonished to find out a no seat belt ticket was 25.00. I paid 250.00 in California the one time I forgot to buckle up. I've never forgotten again. It is what it is. They lose highway money if they don't have a seat belt law so they make it a 25.00 ticket and then wonder why they have more traffic fatalities per capita.
  • Denizen_Kate
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    Dry counties. I lived in one in Kentucky for a couple of years. People would drive over to the next country to buy alcohol, but just couldn't wait to get home before drinking it. For a sparsely populated region, the number of DUI-related accidents was astounding.
  • Denizen_Kate
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    @MRMacrum - Miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles. I have family there (on my dad's side). What a boring place for a drive.
  • MRMacrum
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    @Denizen_Kate - Yeah I lived and worked out of Dallas for a couple of years as a truck driver. Also have relatives who reside there. I always felt that West Texas was probably what Trucker Hell would be like.
  • Kptpredsfan
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    I used to live in a town where you couldn't buy beer on sundays or liquor any day in Tennessee with a lot of NASCAR fans (I live fairly near one of the tracks they visit twice a year) every sunday everyone drove over to the next town/county bought beer for the race and drove back. Like you said, seems to cause more accidents then it prevents, and it could be a factor in the red vs blue state argument. (the town just passed liquor by the drink this election tho....some restaurants have been eyeing some prime land and what do ya know its ok to drink haha)

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  • MRMacrum
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    Well based on the photograph of the pick up demolished next to a sign that says "Dip", I would guess the driver was indeed being attentive and dutifully reached for his can of Skoal.
  • u
    KyleMFb
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    Bc republicans have a problem with accepting facts like its a fact if you wear your seatbelt your survivability chances will be increased dramatically or its republicans bitching and moaning about welfare and then turn around and cashing their checks bc its a fact red states are welfare states and republicans chose not to believe the fact that global warming is real and its being sped up by human activity they say it hasn't been proven but global warming has been proven and its accepted by 98% of scientist
  • MRMacrum
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    I seem to remember that back in the day when the debate about making seat belts mandatory, the Right championed the resistance of the car companies to get on board. They cited individual rights being violated. It was a real comedy, that controversy.
  • u
    Wisdom73
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    Is it me or is Politix riduculously biased? Where are you coming up with these stories??? Seriously? What's next? Study shows that more conservatives smoke cigarettes compared to liberals. Is everything labeled as a blue or red state?
  • SavageMazx
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    Can you guess where Politix is based.....good old bankrupt California.....Mary and Dave probably went to Berkley and have memorized all of Obama's books
  • u
    Cheenoguy
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    First off, this is a meaningless stat.
    I couldn't find a welfare comparison exactly but I did find this wonderful page full of info.
    http://mobile.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/econom... -

    Red states take more and give less then blue states. It even remains true when you look at the county level. So while Republicans view themselves as tax givers and Democrats as the takers the reality is the math shows the exact opposite.
  • joyshusband
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    @Cheenoguy Blue states have the highest taxes, no doubt. Friend of mine lives in Connecticut, he pays higher property taxes (on a very modest house) than I pay in income taxes in WV.
  • u
    Cheenoguy
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    @commonsense51
    I forgot some of you don't care about facts. You prefer to live in a fantasy world. Enjoy it, but I assure that despite its imperfections the real world is a wonderful place.

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  • MongoAPillager
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    a guy i know from maine hit his third light-pole,i questioned his frequency of impacts with the said objects,his reply was,well,sh*t,they put one every 250 ft.you're bound to hit a couple guess that's why their a red state
  • MRMacrum
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    @MongoAPillager Now see, trying to relive past glories just doesn't have the same sparkle as it did back in the day. But I can understand your trip down memory lane.
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