A new analysis of fatal crash data reveals where dangerous driving is most common — and it’s not where you might expect.
If you’ve lived long enough, you’ve probably heard people comment about where the worst drivers in the country are.
- “New York City is well known for its really bad drivers.”
- “New Jersey drivers? They are the worst of the worst.”
- “Careful when you’re driving in Florida – horrible drivers there.”
Full disclosure: I am a native New Yorker who married a guy from New Jersey and we now live in Florida. 😉
But ARE NY, NJ and FL home to the worst drivers in the country? Anecdotally, depending on who you listen to, maybe. But according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), no, they’re not.
Where are the country’s worst drivers?
Consumer Affairs, a U.S.-based customer review and consumer news platform that provides information for purchasing decisions around major life changes or milestones, decided to find out. Through analysis of the most recent NHTSA fatal crash data, they determined the 10 cities in the U.S. with the worst drivers:
1. Memphis, TN
This is the third year in a row that Memphis got the #1 spot for having the worst drivers in the nation. With 38.79 car-related deaths per 100,000 residents, they not only had the highest rate of traffic fatalities, but that number was more than three times the national rate.
Memphis also had the highest rate of alcohol-related deaths (9.22 fatalities per 100,000 residents).
2. Knoxville, TN
With 13.94 car-related deaths per 100,000 residents, Knoxville was #2 on the list.
The city of Knoxville also ranked high (#5 in the country) for speeding-related fatalities, with 9.29 deaths per 100,000 residents.
3. Waterbury, CT
Waterbury has the highest rate in the country of traffic fatalities that are due to driving under the influence (DUI) – 7.87 such fatalities per 100,000 residents — that’s more than four times the average rate in the U.S.
Waterbury also ranks in the top 10 cities for deadly crashes involving bad driving; their rate for that is 10.49 per 100,000 residents, which is ninth highest in the country.
4. Aurora, CO
Until this year, Aurora was full of relatively “safe” drivers – they ranked 53rd in 2023 and 64th in 2024. But they’ve now jumped to the #4 spot, with 11.02 fatal crashes related to bad driving behaviors, 5.38 deaths due to DUI and 7.43 fatalities involving positive blood alcohol content per 100,000 residents.
5. Tucson, AZ
Tucson was #6 last year for unsafe drivers and this year, with 27.05 fatalities per 100,000 residents, they rank #5.
The rest of the top 10
Rounding out the top ten:
- #6 – Kansas City, MO
- #7 – San Bernardino, CA
- #8 – Billings, MT
- #9 – Miami Gardens, FL
- #10 – Charleston, SC
What some of these cities are doing to lower these unnecessary deaths
Several of these cities, notably Memphis, Knoxville, Waterbury and Charleston (or their respective states) are taking action with new laws, policies and plans to address their problems with high automobile-related deaths.
You can read about their plans, as well as more specific numbers for #6 through 10, on this page of ConsumerAffairs’ website.
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