The "Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety," issues a grade for each state on a yearly basis to compare relative roadway safety.

The group uses a sole determinant: a list of 15 laws it feels each state should adopt in order to make the roads safer. No state has all 15 of these laws. The green states, those at the top of the list, have 13 to 14 of the laws. Only ten states and the District of Columbia pass with a green.

Most states fall into the middle, yellow range. For example, Kansas is in the yellow. Last year, Kansas was awarded an 8, and this year it was awarded an 8.5. The change came because of a graduated driver's license system that subjects young drivers to special restrictions in the first 6 months with a license. Among these restrictions are an early curfew, a cell phone ban and the reduction in the number of passengers they can carry.

Kansas does not have a seat belt law that would allow a police officer to pull someone over simply for not wearing a seat belt. The state as a "secondary" seat belt law. This means motorists can be ticketed only if they are pulled over for another reason. 21 states do not have a primary seat belt law.

Below Kansas and the other yellow states, nine states were in the red. South Dakota, in fact, was scored the lowest with only 3 of the recommended 15 laws. 

One of the main factors reviewed by the panel this year was a ban on distracted driving. The Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety are proponents of texting bans. Some states apply texting bans only to young motorists. Others, like Kansas, apply the bans uniformly. The map below shows cell phone and texting laws in each state:

From: National Safety Council