Kansas’ traffic laws are safer than most neighboring states, new report shows
The state of Kansas ranks better than most of its neighboring states on traffic safety, according to a new report on U.S. road laws.
The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety released its “Roadmap to Safety” report card Dec. 5, which grades all 50 states and D.C. on driving laws. The lobbying organization’s purpose was to identify possible safety issues in certain state laws as well as highlight states that have safety laws in place.
The report showed that the United States had the third-highest motor vehicle crash rate among similar countries in 2022. Then in 2023, the United States saw an increase of road deaths compared to the 2017-2019 average. The U.S. was one of five countries to see an increase.
The group looked at laws in six different categories — occupant safety, child passenger safety, young driver laws, impaired driving laws, distracted driving laws and automated enforcement.
After analyzing the laws each U.S. state has in place and how they compare to research-based recommendations for reducing traffic deaths, the advocacy organization then gave each state a color — green (good), yellow (caution) or red (danger).
Looking at the colors given in each category, the advocacy organization then gave the state a color as a whole.
Kansas got red in four categories, with four of the 18 laws that the group was looking for.
What laws does Kansas have and is missing?
Looking at occupant safety, Kansas lacks a law allowing police officers to pull over cars for rear seat belt violations as well as laws enforcing motorcycle helmets.
The company also reported that Kansas has few laws regarding children in booster seats, which earned the state a red in child passenger safety. Kansas also got red in young driver laws and automated enforcement laws, like red-light cameras.
Kansas ranked green in two categories — impaired driving laws and distracted driving laws — for having adequate safety laws. The state has laws regarding impaired driving, which carry hefty fines and possible prison sentences, depending on the case. Distracted driving laws in Kansas include a ban on texting while behind the wheel.
How does KS compare?
Overall, the state of Kansas was ranked yellow. Looking at Kansas’ neighboring states, Missouri got a red overall, as did Oklahoma and Nebraska. Colorado joined Kansas as yellow.
Only six states were given the green rating — Washington, Oregon, Louisiana, Maryland, and Rhode Island as well as Washington, D.C.
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Kansas’ traffic laws are safer than most neighboring states, new report shows."
