The Cities Where You’re Most Likely To Get In A Car Accident

• Atlanta is the city where motorists face the greatest chance of becoming involved in a collision.
• Memphis is the city with the highest motor vehicle accident fatality rate per 100,000 residents.
• Drivers in Baltimore get into car accidents more frequently than others at a rate of once every four years on average.
• Your chance of being in a collision in Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Boston are higher than in any other cities in the U.S.
• Raleigh, North Carolina is the U.S. city where motorists have the lowest risk of becoming involved in a motor vehicle accident.

The top cities for traffic accidents can be found all across the United States, but some of the highest risk areas are concentrated along the coasts and in metro areas with large populations and limited public transportation systems.

Collisions are far more likely in Los Angeles than in New York or Chicago, for example, because people are more car-dependent in the City of Angels.

Here is the list of the top 50 cities where crashes are most likely to occur.

Different locations have differing laws about motor vehicle accidents, with cities located in no-fault states limiting the ability of motorists to sue an at-fault driver unless their injuries cross a certain threshold of seriousness. Many of the cities where there's a high likelihood of collisions are located in these no-fault states, including Kentucky, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Because local laws do differ, it is best for drivers involved in collisions to reach out to attorneys in the area where the crash occurred. For example, Los Angeles is the 10th highest-risk city.

Top 10 Cities With Most Car Accident Fatalities

Motorists may not only be interested in where crashes are more likely to happen, but also in which cities are most likely to have the most fatal car accidents. The table below shows cities where the rate of fatal crashes is the highest per 100,000 residents.

While there's a substantial amount of overlap between cities where crashes are most likely to occur and cities where crashes are most likely to be deadly, there are also some new locales on this list. For example, although Tucson, AZ is third on the list of cities where the fatality rate is the highest, it is not among the cities where a crash is most likely to occur.

Fatal accidents can have especially damaging consequences so finding the right attorney is especially important when a death occurs. In many cases, the estate of the deceased can sue those responsible for the accident but knowing local law is crucial.

As this list shows, the roads in Florida are especially deadly, with two cities in the Sunshine State topping the list of locales where crashes are most likely to result in fatalities.

Cities With Fewest Years Between Collisions

A car accident can be stressful and expensive for motorists, but collisions are a fact of life in busy urban areas. Unfortunately, crashes do occur with greater frequency in some locations than others. In fact, the table below shows the top cities with the fewest years in between crashes, as calculated by looking at the average years between accidents per driver.

Some clear trends can be seen here, with places like Philadelphia and Baltimore appearing on several of these lists. Motorists in these high-risk places should make sure to exercise extra caution on the road.

Drivers also need to understand the impact of an accident on their insurance, as well as the rules for who can be held liable for crash damages. A local lawyer can provide insight into these issues.

Cities With the Highest Relative Likelihood of a Collision

Finally, drivers may wish to consider the relative likelihood of a crash in each urban area across the United States. The data below shows the areas where the relative likelihood of an accident is highest compared with the national average.

The relative likelihood of a crash is influenced by many factors, including the types of roads that are present and the habits of local motorists. For example, Baltimore has many high-speed expressways which increase the chances of a crash, and Baltimore motorists are consistently ranked among the worst nationwide.

Motorists can use this information to assess their risk but unfortunately it can be impossible to prevent crashes in all circumstances—especially when other motorists on the road engage in high-risk behaviors.

In the country’s most dangerous cities, drivers face more than a 100% increased chance of becoming involved in an accident. Every motorist should have the right insurance, drive defensively and understand local car accident laws. But these behaviors are more important in high-risk locales so motorists review this list to make informed choices about how best to protect themselves and their loved ones when behind the wheel.

To determine the cities where car accidents are most likely to occur, Forbes Advisor examined three key metrics from across the 50 largest cities by population as of the 2020 census. The following metrics were weighted and scored to create our full city ranking.

• 50% — Motor Vehicle-related Fatalities per 100,000 people, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
• 25% — Average Years Between Collisions, AllState Best Drivers Index
• 25% — Relative Collision Likelihood, AllState Best Drivers Index