Connecticut and Rhode Island were among the top states in the nation for teenage drivers in a recent study by the financial site WalletHub, with both states scoring well on safety qualities.

Connecticut ranked seventh overall, though the state placed sixth in the safety conditions ranking, 24th in the driving laws category, and 42nd in economic conditions. Rhode Island was ninth overall, as well as ninth for safety conditions, 13th for driving laws, and 45th for economic conditions.

In summarizing the findings of the study, WalletHub writer Richie Bernardo says the analysis aims to help parents determine their state's safety and economic environment for teenage drivers. Bernardo says that vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 16 and 19, and that drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 account for almost one-third of the costs arising from motor vehicle accidents despite making up only 14 percent of all drivers in the United States.

The report ranked each state in three separate categories. Safety conditions looked at factors such as the number of teenage driver fatalities per 100,000 teenagers in the state, the number of vehicle miles traveled per capita, the quality of the roads, and the number of teenage violations for driving under the influence per 100,000 teenagers in the state.

Economic conditions considered the cost of driving violations such as speeding, running a red light, and not wearing a seat belt. The category also considered the average costs for vehicle repairs, adding a teenager to an insurance policy, and insurance premium penalties for high risk drivers in each state.

The driving laws category looked at the state's graduated driver licensing laws as well as laws related to distracted driving and impaired driving. It also considered red light or speed cameras as well as WalletHub's rankings of states by how serious punishments were for driving under the influence.

New York ranked first overall, followed by Oregon and Massachusetts. South Dakota had the lowest ranking, along with Montana and North Dakota.

Massachusetts was the top rated state for safety conditions. Washington State, which ranked 11th overall, was first in the driving laws category. Michigan, which ranked 23rd overall, topped the list in the economic conditions category.

Connecticut had the fewest teen driver fatalities per 100,000 teenagers in the state's population, while New York had the second fewest and Rhode Island had the third fewest. This proportion was highest in North Dakota, followed by Montana and South Dakota.

Connecticut and Rhode Island were also among the 13 states identified as having the best graduated driver licensing laws. This placement was defined as having at least five of seven graduated driver licensing conditions, which included a minimum age of 16 for holding a learner's permit, a six-month holding period, between 30 and 50 hours of supervised driving, a requirement to reach age 18 to get an unrestricted license, and restrictions on passengers, cell phone use, and nighttime driving.

Five states were ranked as the worst for graduated driver licensing laws because they had two or fewer of the conditions: Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

Despite their high safety rankings, Connecticut and Rhode Island did not fare as well in the category of costs to add a teenage driver to an insurance policy. New Hampshire had the highest cost, followed by Rhode Island; Connecticut had the fifth highest costs. Adding a teenager to a policy was cheapest in Hawaii, followed by New York and Michigan.

Alabama had the lowest number of DUI violations per 100,000 teenagers in the population, followed by Illinois and Delaware. The highest rate of teen DUI violations was in South Dakota, followed by Wyoming and Montana.

Car repair costs were lowest in Nebraska, while New Hampshire was the second cheapest and West Virginia was third. Repairs were most expensive in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Delaware.

WalletHub also asked a number of experts for their input on the biggest risks teenage drivers face, how parents and teenagers can reduce driving costs, and how parents and policymakers can improve the safety of teenage drivers. One of the people questioned was Yifrah Kaminer, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics and a research scientist at the Alcohol Research Center at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

Kaminer recommended that teenagers postpone getting a driver's license until the age of 18. He said this delay allows more time for brain functions to develop, reducing the chance of risky impulsive behavior which he said is most prevalent between the ages of 15 and 16.