One of the first things taught in any motorcycle safety course is to ride defensively.

Since part of this defensive riding would include knowing which state has the best teen drivers, bikers should head to the newstand for the April issue of U.S. News & World Report magazine which lists its first ranking of the Best States for Teen Drivers.

From the District of Columbia to the shores of California, teen drivers managed to come through a stack of statistics to make the top ten. Presented with Allstate Insurance Company, the study analyzed state driving laws and road conditions to identify how much states are doing to make their roads safer. In producing the rankings, U.S. News researched comprehensive government statistics on teen driving as well as a range of factors specifically affecting young drivers, making the ranking an essential resource for families with teenage drivers.

The Best States for Teen Drivers, which scores all 50 states and the District of Columbia, is led by the following top 10 states:

  1. District of Columbia
  2. California
  3. Colorado
  4. Maryland
  5. Illinois
  6. New Jersey
  7. Oregon
  8. Minnesota
  9. Utah
  10. Washington

  *The full state rankings are available at www.usnews.com/teendrivers.

To determine the Best States, U.S. News examined 11 indicators that affect teen driving safety. Five of the variables used in the rankings were based on U.S. government driving, accident, and road quality statistics, while the other six variables used independent ratings of each state's driving and safety laws from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

A sampling of the ranking variables include: safety belt, teen driving, DUI/DWI, distracted driving, and motorcycle helmet laws, as well as individual state statistics such as ratings of road conditions, average vehicle miles traveled per capita, and average percent of teens in each state with driver's licenses.

According to a recent Allstate Foundation study:

• 82% of driving teens claim to use cell phones while driving, and 49% admit to being extremely distracted by texting and instant messaging while driving
• 61% of teens worry about getting into a car crash
• 65% of teens think of themselves as a good driver who pays attention
• Parents remain #1 as driving influencers and advisors (81% of respondents said parents have the most influence on their driving)

"Car crashes are the leading cause of death among teens today," said U.S. News Editor Brian Kelly. "By compiling the most critical information on driving safety, the Best States for Teen Drivers can raise awareness among families and help them address safety concerns with their teenage drivers."