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.
Did your hometown make the list?
15. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 13.41
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 13.5
14. Birmingham, Alabama
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 13.55
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.2
13. Tulsa, Oklahoma
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.00
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 18.5
12. St. Petersburg, Florida
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.27
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 28.6
11. Jacksonville, Florida
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.36
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 13.8
10. Lubbock, Texas
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.97
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.2
9. Memphis, Tennessee
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 15.08
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 11.9
8. Jackson, Mississippi
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 15.53
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 18.5
7. Chattanooga, Tennessee
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 16.39
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 17.9
6. Salt Lake City, Utah
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 16.51
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 26.7
5. San Bernardino, California
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 17.12
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.8
4. Little Rock, Arkansas
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 17.94
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 26.5
3. Augusta-Richmond Co., Georgia
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 19.57
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.8
2. Orlando, Florida
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 19.95
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 10.9
1. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 22.39
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, 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)
Thanks to friends at CNBC for compiling this data.
