If you want to avoid getting into a car accident, you may want to choose to walk instead of drive in Memphis.
The Tennessee city was ranked as having the highest rate of fatal car accidents in the United States, according to a study by the ConsumerAffairs research team.
Motor vehicle crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) 2022 Fatality Analysis and Reporting System (FARS) and the NHTSA’s Crash Report Sampling System helped determine the rankings.
The ConsumerAffairs report includes data on fatal and nonfatal crashes for passenger cars, light trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans.
Cities and states were ranked by the number of car accidents per 100,000 people in their designated areas.
Memphis topped the list of 195 U.S. cities analyzed, with 207 fatal crashes in 2022, or 33.33 crashes per 100,000 residents, nearly triple the national average of 11.77 crashes per 100,000 residents.
“The findings may not come as a surprise to Consumer Affairs readers, as Memphis is the city that ranked top in last year’s America’s Worst Drivers survey,” the consumer news platform said.
Rounding out the top 10 are Daytona Beach, Fla., Ocala, Fla., Macon, Ga., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Albany, Ga., Jackson, Miss., Birmingham, Alabama, Tucson, Arizona and St. Louis, Missouri.
Memphis had the highest fatal accident rate per 100,000 residents, but ranked sixth for total fatal accidents in 2022. Los Angeles led the way with 341 accidents, followed by Houston, Phoenix, New York City and Dallas.
Meanwhile, the city of Reading, Pennsylvania, was determined to have the lowest car accident rate in 2022, with 1.05 accidents per 100,000 people.
“Redding was one of four cities with only one fatal crash all year. The others were Passaic, New Jersey; Ames, Iowa; and Iowa City, Iowa,” Consumer Affairs said.
New York City ranked lowest for accidents per 100,000 people. Its 228 fatal accidents were the fourth-highest in the country, but a relatively low number for a city of more than 8 million people, many of whom rely on public transportation.
ConsumerAffairs advises drivers to “take out good car insurance and auto warranty” as most car insurance packages will cover damage to the car and injuries sustained in an accident.
