Two Tennessee cities have been ranked among the top 25 cities in the U.S. for having the worst drivers, according to ConsumerAffairs’ 2024 study analyzing driving records in the country.
The ConsumerAffairs Research Team took into consideration five crash factors to create a “crash score” for U.S. cities and states – the total car crash fatalities per 100,000 people; the number of fatal crashes due to bad driving per 100,000 people; the number of fatalities due to positive blood alcohol content per 100,000 people; the number of fatalities due to speeding per 100,000 people; and the number of fatalities involving driving under the influence per 100,000 people.
The higher an area’s crash score, the higher it is on the ranking of areas with the worst drivers.
For the second year in a row, Memphis was ranked the top city in the entire nation for having the worst drivers, as the city received a crash score of 77.3.
The top five cities with the worst drivers are Victorville, California (64.0 crash score); Macon, Georgia (63.4 crash score); San Bernardino, California (60.6 crash score); and Jackson, Mississippi (56.1 crash score).
Knoxville also ranked as one of the top U.S. cities for having the worst drivers, as its 43.3 crash score landed it in ConsumerAffairs’ 25th ranking.
Out of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Tennessee ranked 11th in the nation for having the worst drivers, as the state received a crash score of 38.6.
The top five U.S. states with the worst drivers are Montana (54.0 crash score), New Mexico (53.9 crash score), South Carolina (53.7 crash score), Wyoming (52.8 crash score), and Arkansas (47.6 crash score).
ConsumerAffairs’ study analyzed the most recently reported crash data from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) to determine the cities and states with the worst drivers.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.