In a lot of ways safe driving (i.e. following all the rules) does not necessarily mean good driving. The most cautious drivers tend to cause the most accidents (and traffic, by the by). Most certainly the fatal accidents are due to recklessness, but in general, aggressive driving keeps things moving and safe. New York probably ranks low on this list because the drivers here are insanely aggressive. They're also fairly skilled drivers, and although they don't obey every traffic law, this keeps people mostly safe.

New York City drivers are good drivers only in their minds.

You do realize those "statistics" include the entire NY state and not just NYC which, undoubtedly, is where the worst drivers reside. Just how does "aggressive driving keep things safe?" If aggressive driving means speeding, cutting across lanes, and generally disregarding traffic signs, it's definitely not keeping anyone safe. And unlike other places in the US, the NYPD usually ignores traffic violations which means virtually all violations go unrecorded. Geez, how can you call these people are skilled drivers when so many of them are barely able to even park correctly?

One has to wonder how many drivers in NYC either don't have licenses or are driving with suspended licenses.

Yeah, I'd say New Yorkers are probably pretty good in terms of ability. The problem is that we drive like assholes. Once you get away from the Northeast, driving is actually somewhat enjoyable.

I don't know, "least skilled" and "deadliest" aren't the same thing. I think you can have excellent driving skills and still drive like a complete moron. The average driver in NYC (I realize our ranking is state-wide) would probably do great on a closed-course skills test, but tends to take obscene risks.

Also, I don't think Daily Beast factored in traffic density, where I'd expect to see a lower-than-predicted rate of accidents in NYC.