Buckle Up: Crash Data Shows Where America’s Worst Drivers Are

Ever wondered just which state has the worst drivers and what cities are best to avoid in the interests of keeping clear of the fast and the furious? Wonder no more.

A study by ConsumerAffairs reviewed crash data from the U.S. Department of Transportation and information included in the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

Initial key insights from the study reveal:

• Highest rate of fatal crashes caused by bad driving: Memphis, Tennessee (5.6 times the national average)
• Highest rate of drunk-driving fatalities: Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2.2 times the national average)
• Highest rate of speeding fatalities: Hesperia, California (2.9 times the national average)

The study examined a range of data points including the number of fatal crashes, the number of fatalities caused by bad driving, the number of fatalities due to driving under the influence and the prevalence of speeding in fatal accidents, to calculate a “crash score” and rank the cities with the worst drivers.

Tennessee had the most cities appear among the top 20 at four, including the worst-ranked city. In fact, Tennessee had 34 deadly crashes per 100,000 people in 2021, which is a significant increase compared to the national average of 12 deadly crashes per 100,000 people, the report states.

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Topping out the list was Memphis. According to ConsumerAffairs, the majority of deadly crashes in Memphis are caused by bad driving, causing 203 deadly crashes in 2021 — more than any other city.

Tennessee’s three other cities on the list were Knoxville (12), Clarksville (17), and Chattanooga (19).

The 10 U.S. cities with the worst drivers, based on ConsumerAffairs’ analysis, were:

1. Memphis, Tennessee
2. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
3. Albuquerque, New Mexico
4. Macon, Georgia
5. St. Louis, Missouri
6. Cleveland, Ohio
7. Detroit, Michigan and Victorville, California (tied)
8. Hesperia, California
9. Rockford, Illinois

Least anyone be left wondering just what the safest alternatives are, ConsumerAffairs also ranked the cities with the safest drivers, which were largely in Texas and California.

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The 10 cities with the safest drivers, according to ConsumerAffairs, were:

1. Green Bay, Wisconsin
2. Cary, North Carolina
3. Oxnard, California
4. Bellevue, Washington
5. McKinney, Texas
6. Lynn, Massachusetts
7. Glendale, California
8. Pearland, Texas
9. College Station, Texas
10. Henderson, Nevada

The full list of cities with the worst drivers in America can be found here.

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