15 Most Dangerous Driving Cities

[AF News Desk]

If you’ve ever driven through your town or city and wondered just how some of the people on the road with you get their licenses, I’m right there with you.

Driver ability – which directly impacts driver safety and the safety of others on the road – is a major concern for many people. As for myself, it’s an even bigger concern now that I have a 3-month-old (and growing) child.

Well, if you’ve wondered if your city might be one of the more dangerous places to drive, CNBC has a story that will put that to rest for you – listing the top 15 most dangerous cities for driving.
The story, from CNBC.com:

Originally Posted by Colleen Kane – CNBC, 8/4/11

15 Dangerous Cities for Driving

A view of the 14th-most dangerous city on the list – Birmingham, Ala.

There are many ways one could gauge the danger of driving in a particular city, but this list uses the cities with the greatest number of vehicular deaths as a barometer of the danger level. U.S. cities with a population of 150,000 or more were up for consideration, using the most recent motor vehicle crash data available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System and General Estimates System.

One particular region of the country, the South, is overrepresented, and within that region one state in particular sticks out like a panhandle: A full one-third of the cities in this list are in Florida. Why does Florida rank so badly? Some blame the high proportion of New York City expats—some driving for the first time in their lives — foreigners, tourists driving in unfamiliar territory, and senior citizens, not to mention spring breakers, who may have compromised vision or reflexes.

Los Angeles didn’t make the most dangerous list, but had the most total fatalities overall, at 293. The city that’s the most dangerous for pedestrians, according to the data, is Pittsburgh, accounting for more than 50 percent of total fatalities.

Here are the 15 cities that ranked the worst:

15. Oklahoma City, Okla.
Population: 551,789
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 13.41
Total fatalities: 74
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 13.5

14. Birmingham, Ala.
Population: 228,798
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 13.55
Total fatalities: 31
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.2

13. Tulsa, Okla.
Population: 385,635
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.00
Total fatalities: 54
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 18.5

12. St. Petersburg, Fla.
Population: 245,314
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.27
Total fatalities: 35
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 28.6

11. Jacksonville, Fla.
Population: 807,815
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.36
Total fatalities: 116
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 13.8

10. Lubbock, Texas
Population: 220,483
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.97
Total fatalities: 33
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.2

9. Memphis, Tenn.
Population: 669,651
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 15.08
Total fatalities: 101
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 11.9

8. Jackson, Miss.
Population: 173,861
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 15.53
Total fatalities: 27
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 18.5

7. Chattanooga, Tenn.
Population: 170,880
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 16.39
Total fatalities: 28
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 17.9

6. Salt Lake City, Utah
Population: 181,698
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 16.51
Total fatalities: 30
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 26.7

5. San Bernardino, Calif.
Population: 198,580
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 17.12
Total fatalities: 38
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.8

4. Little Rock, Ark.
Population: 189,515
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 17.94
Total fatalities: 34
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 26.5

3. Augusta-Richmond Co., Ga.
Population: 194,149
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 19.57
Total fatalities: 38
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.8

2. Orlando, Fla.
Population: 230,519
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 19.95
Total fatalities: 46
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 10.9

The most dangerous city to drive in: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
1. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Population: 183,126
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 22.39
Total fatalities: 41
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 24.4


On the safer end of the spectrum, here are the 10 cities with the least fatalities per 100,000 population:

Arlington CDP (census designated place), Va. (0.48)
Vancouver, Wash. (1.23)
Moreno Valley, Calif. (1.57)
Rochester, N.Y. (1.93)
Spokane, Wash. (1.98)
Lincoln, Neb. (1.99)
Aurora, Ill. (2.33)
St. Paul, Minn. (2.50)
Omaha, Neb. (2.51)
Jersey City, N.J. (2.90)

[[[[[[[[OUR VIEW]]]]]]]]

I'm honestly more than a little surprised that cities like New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and D.C. aren't in the top 15.

Realistically, it can be argued that any city you live and drive in is a dangerous city to drive in, based simply on this fact: Other people and their abilities behind the while are unpredictable.

That said, if you're out there - no matter what city it is - be cognizant of the people around you, use your mirrors and don't try to be a hotshot, lest you become a statistic that puts your city on this list.

Now, what cities have you all driven in that have stood out as particularly dangerous? Why?

[Moppie]

So the rest of the world doesn't have Cities?

[jon@af]

Guess not?

I will try to find worst in the world - just for you .

[Intuit]

I'm honestly more than a little surprised that cities like New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and D.C. aren't in the top 15.

Hard to have a wreck when your average speed is 15mph or less; top speed maybe 30.

We all make mistakes on occasion, but what's interesting is we never talk about the mistakes WE make when discussing traffic behaviors. Damn lucky nothing became of the ones I've made. I like to hear folks' stories because there is always something to glean from them. One of the worst I've made, involved a rapid lane change. I was getting impatient driving from red-light to red-light down a main suburban thoroughfare road. (poorly managed traffic system) Often you can get through a few more of them, if not a long string of them, by driving the speed-limit. Driving in the right-lane, I saw that the left was starting to move faster and so moved over there. Seconds after that, the driver ahead of the car in front, for no apparent reason slows to the steady pace of slower. Right lane starts to again pass, so I quickly checked the mirror and darted back-into my original spot hoping to beat the next light. Few seconds later I look into my rear view and see a biker waiving his headlamp too & fro. Never having been aware of his presence up until that point, (I'm ordinarily cognizant of all surrounding traffic,) I then realized that he could have been occupying that space. So the lesson I took from this potential disaster, never assume. Always carefully check your mirrors and change lanes slowly.

One of the best gauges in determining how good a driver you are, is how you handle sudden maneuvers and situations. We've all witnessed the driver suddenly cutting across two to four lanes because they at the last minute, realized they needed to make a turn. We've all witnessed someone nearly causing a rear-ender because they realized they "needed" to make a right-turn at the last second. When it comes to sudden situations and maneuvers like this, the best advise is, don't.

I've had "backseat drivers," GPS, unfamiliarity, poor/non-existent signs, impatience, "zoning," cause me to realize at the last second, that I "need" to make a sudden maneuver.

Now, can you identify the worse part of the above sentence ? Take a second.

It's the word, "need." We don't "need" to engage in that maneuver. Simply continue forward, and find a safe place to turn around. Passenger points out a turn too late, NO BIG DEAL ! Simply continue forward and turn around. You loose 1-10 minutes under most circumstances.

[Auto Concierge]

Man, I can't believe Houston didn't make the top three!!? LOL

[Johnnyx1257]

I live on the east end of long island new York. It's about an hour and 20 min from manhattan. And it's crazy driving in the city. People are nuts I love it lol

[r3dsoxmatt]

Yeah, very surprised Boston, New York, & DC didn't make the list. We're terrible up here.

Seems like all cities in the south / southwest.

[Tinovolpe]

It's interesting that most of the cities are in the deep south or south west. Not saying anything more.

[egpigeon]

I think that CAIRO-Egypt is one of the top 10 danger cities to drive a car

[tonioseven]

Montego Bay Jamaica is a death-trap too.

[dm6ripper]

Definitely surprised to see some cities not on there. I guess I know where not to take a vacation now! haha!

[Green Crusader]

I would say most of the Indian cities should make it into this list. Nobody obeys traffic laws here and you have cars coming in from all directions. Just come to India once and these dangerous cities will pale in comparison. :P

[Nikkino0502]

there is anyone who know if rio de janeiro is a dangerous city for drivers?

[CaneWhite]

One should be very careful while driving to avoid road mishaps. From many facts, you can gauge the danger of driving in a particular city,but this list with data given is alarming.

[stevenfletcher]

1. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
2. Boise, Idaho
3. Fort Collins, Colorado
4. Madison, Wisconsin
5. Lincoln, Nebraska
6. Huntsville, Alabama
7. Chandler, Arizona
8. Reno, Nevada
9. Knoxville, Tennessee
10. Springfield, Missouri