Only five states earned a top “green” rating for strong road safety laws in a new national report from Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety. The group reviewed traffic safety laws in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and found that most states still fall short in protecting drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. 

What’s Related

The annual “Roadmap to Safety” report comes as Congress prepares to rewrite the nation’s surface transportation law in 2026, a move that will shape safety funding and policy for years to come.

The five safest states 

According to the report, these five states are leading the country in road safety laws:

• Maryland
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Washington

(Washington, D.C., also earned a green rating, though it is not a state)

These states stood out for having stricter rules that help keep roads safer, including more stringent alcohol rules for drivers and a wider use of red-light cameras.

Even among the top performers, none earned a perfect score.

Most states get failing grades

The report found that 45 states did not meet the highest standard for safety laws. Many states still lack basic protections such as:

• Strong bans on texting while driving
• Open container laws for vehicles
• Red-light camera enforcement
• Updated impaired driving prevention tools

To help states improve, the Advocates laid out 18 safety laws they say every state should adopt and urged Congress to use federal funding to encourage those changes.

“As Congress identifies and advances their priorities for reauthorization, we urge the safety of all road users to be a leading concern in transportation policy initiatives,” the group wrote. “Congress must seize this opportunity to perpetuate the robust funding directed to lifesaving roadway infrastructure improvements, incentivize the adoption of proven traffic safety laws, and build on vehicle safety gains, while rejecting measures to weaken or repeal essential safety laws and regulations.”

Vehicle safety still a key piece

The group praised the U.S. Department of Transportation for finalizing a rule requiring automatic emergency braking in new vehicles. Still, it said progress has been slow on other safety rules backed by Congress, including lane-departure warnings, impaired-driving prevention, and hot-car safety systems.

While safer vehicles help, the Advocates stressed that state laws still play a major role in reducing deadly crashes.

“Advocates also supports federal measures designed to spur state action on traffic safety laws including effective federal incentive grant programs with accountability and oversight,” the report notes. “When used appropriately, the withholding of state highway funds for inaction also has proven successful in advancing lifesaving upgrades.”