A new 2026 Roadmap to Safety report from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety found that most U.S. states are falling short in enacting proven traffic safety laws, despite persistently high crash deaths and injuries on American roads. The annual report grades each state on adoption of a suite of optimal laws targeting key risk factors such as impaired driving, distracted driving, seat belt use, child passenger safety, and automated enforcement measures. Only five states — Maryland, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington — plus Washington, D.C., earned the highest “green” grade for robust legal frameworks. In contrast, the report identified nine states with a “danger” or red rating, meaning they remain dangerously behind in adopting recommended safety statutes and countermeasures.

States earning red marks include Idaho, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming, reflecting widespread gaps in essential safety laws such as primary enforcement seat belt statutes, comprehensive drunk driving policies, and restrictions on high-risk teen driving behaviors. While the remaining 36 states received a “yellow” caution rating — signaling that improvement is needed — report authors and safety advocates are urging state and federal lawmakers to use this data as a roadmap for legislative action in the 2026 session. They argue that adopting proven, evidence-based laws could curb preventable deaths and injuries that continue to strain families, communities, and economic systems nationwide.

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