I'm actually astounded by those statistics. I was born and raised in Massachusetts (I know, I know - don't ask, it's a long story.)
Massachusetts has always had a reputation for bad drivers, and I drove there for almost 40 years. Never was fearful.
Moved to Maine and never witnessed more accidents or near accidents in my life. I feel like I'm going into combat every time I get behind the wheel.
Just no general understanding of the rules of the road.
I don't know if it's no understanding or not. Here, I think it's impatience and lack of common sense. I've seen people not only run red lights at high speed, but run them making turns with traffic coming at them. They're nuts. If you don't hesitate before going into an intersection, you're asking for it. One of the first things I was briefed arriving in Tucson was to double up on uninsured/underinsured motorists protection. It's popular for people to acquire insurance just long enough to get their license and registration, then drop ther insurance. Part of the problem is that penalties for such things are too light.