To determine which cities had the best or worst drivers, Forbes Advisor used five metrics which represented a portion of each city’s score.
The methodology analyzed the total number of fatal car accidents, fatal accidents involving a drunk driver, those involving a distracted driver, those involving speeding, and the total number of people killed in fatal car crashes, per 100,000 residents, to determine where a city ranks.
The three worst cities were Albuquerque, New Mexico; Memphis, Tennessee; and Detroit, Michigan, with the worst total score out of 100. Albuquerque had the most fatal car accidents involving distracted drivers, while ranking in the top five for all of the other four metrics except one, which ranked it as the most dangerous city for drivers.
Memphis had the most fatal car accidents, the highest number involving a drunk driver, and the greatest number of people killed in a fatal car accident, according to the data.
One key point in the report is that poor driving can affect car insurance rates. Car insurance companies review data on drivers’ number of accidents, traffic violations, and look at their claims history when setting insurance premiums, according to the news site. Good driving can lead to cheaper premiums, but ultimately premiums vary state by state.
Living in a more dangerous city for drivers could mean higher premiums and higher risk of an accident, according to the report.
Data for the studied metrics came from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool, which collects data for accidents nationwide, with a five-year average used for each metric. City populations were estimated based on the 2022 U.S. Census.
