- ConsumerAffairs studied data on the number of accidents to rank cities
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data escalated
The American cities with the most dangerous roads have been revealed in a new study of the highest number of car accidents, and three of the top five are in Florida.
ConsumerAffairs studied data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to rank cities by number of accidents and population.
In first place, with 33 fatal car accidents per 100,000 people, was Memphis, Tennessee, with 207 fatal accidents in 2022.
It was closely followed by Daytona Beach, Florida, with 32 fatal crashes per 100,000 people, and then Ocala, Florida, with 31 fatal crashes per 100,000.
Fort Lauderdale came in fifth behind Macon, Georgia, meaning there were three Florida cities in the top five.
The report included crashes involving cars, pickup trucks, SUVs and vans in 195 U.S. cities.
Memphis ranked first with a rate three times the national rate: 11.77 accidents per 100,000 inhabitants.
ConsumerAffairs said, “This finding may not surprise ConsumerAffairs readers, since Memphis was the highest-ranked city in our study of America’s worst drivers last year.”
Although Memphis ranked first when adjusted for population size, five cities had more fatal accidents overall.
Los Angeles had the most with 341, followed by Houston, Phoenix, New York and Dallas.
The study also lists the cities with the fewest accidents.
Reading, Pennsylvania was found to be the city with the lowest rate of car accidents in 2022, with 1.05 accidents per 100,000 residents.
Investigators said: ‘Reading was one of four with only one fatal car crash all year. The others were Passaic, New Jersey; Ames, Iowa; and Iowa City, Iowa.’
New York ranked surprisingly low on the list with only 228 fatal accidents among eight million residents.
Memphis ranked first with a rate three times higher than nationally: 11.77 accidents per 100,000 inhabitants.
Daytona Beach, Florida, was close behind with 32 fatal accidents per 100,000 residents.
AAA spokesperson Megan Cooper says there are several factors that contribute to fatal crashes.
She told WREG: ‘Speeding is a big problem, distracted driving, drink driving and people not wearing seat belts.
“You know, those really simple things that take us back to Highway Safety 101.”
Accidents in the three major cities have been in the news in recent weeks.
In Ocala, an accident sent a bus that left the road and went through a fence where it overturned, killing eight passengers and injuring at least 40 others.
Last week in Memphis, four people were killed and another injured in a car crash on I-240.
