If you drive or ride in a car on a daily basis, on average you have a one in 366 chance (for every 1,000 miles driven) of being involved in a car accident. While those odds aren’t significantly high, they’re still higher than a lot of other odds, such as being in a plane crash.
There’s no doubt that driving and riding in a car can be dangerous— especially when there are distracted, intoxicated, speeders, and just plain reckless drivers on the road— but your chances of being involved in a traffic accident may be higher in some U.S. cities than others. If you are involved in an accident you should call an attorney asap. To find one in your area you can Google your location plus accident lawyer. For example, if you live in Chicago Google “accident lawyer in Chicago”.
#1: Johns Island, South Carolina
This island in South Carolina lies right outside of Charleston and has the highest rate of at-fault accidents in the U.S. Although the D.U.I. (driving under the influence) rate is pretty low, more than 20% of Johns Island drivers have a prior at-fault accident. If you’re not careful, you may end up having to contact an accident lawyer.
#2: Silver Spring, Maryland
Located right outside of Washington, D.C., Silver Spring makes it to number two on the list of cities that have the most at-fault traffic accidents. Again, the D.U.I. rate in this city is pretty low, but nearly 18% of Silver Spring drivers have previously caused a traffic accident.
#3: Frisco, Texas and Woodbridge, Virginia
Tied for third place are Frisco (part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro Area) and Woodbridge (located 20 miles south of Washington, D.C.). Both cities have slightly over 17% of their drivers having caused prior wrecks, but Frisco’s D.U.I. rate is higher than Woodbridge’s.
#4: Roseville, California
Roseville is located in Northern California, right outside of the state’s capital of Sacramento. Close to 17% of Roseville drivers have been involved in previous traffic accidents that they were at fault for, and they have the highest D.U.I. rates (4.3%) of all the cities ranked on this list.
#5: Buffalo, New York
Located in upstate New York near the Canadian border, 16.42% of Buffalo’s drivers have caused more than one traffic accident, but fortunately the city has a low D.U.I. rate. Surprisingly, this is the only city in New York on this list.
#6: Gresham, Oregon and Woodstock, Georgia
Gresham (Portland Metro Area) and Woodstock (Atlanta Metro Area) are tied for sixth place. Both cities have a little under 16.5% of its drivers with an at-fault traffic accident on their driving record, and both have comparable D.U.I. rates at 2.69 and 2.41, respectively. These rates are higher than Buffalo, Woodbridge, Silver Spring, and Johns Island, though still much lower than Roseville, California.
#7: Everett, Washington (State)
The city of Everett sits 25 miles north of Seattle. It’s another city with a pretty low D.U.I. rate, though a little over 16% of its drivers have at least one accident on their record.
#8: West Jordan, Utah and Pawtucket, Rhode Island
West Jordan (a suburb of Salt Lake City) and Pawtucket (northeast of Providence) tie for number eight on the list of cities with the most traffic accidents. Both cities have just under 16% of their drivers having caused a previous traffic accident, though Pawtucket has the lower D.U.I. rate— one of the lowest on this list at 0.82.
#9: Murfreesboro, Tennessee and Littleton, Colorado
Another tie, Murfreesboro (Nashville Metro Area) and Littleton (Denver Metro Area) both come in at number 9. 15.75% of drivers in both cities have had previous traffic accidents, but Littleton drivers have nearly twice as many D.U.I. (almost 4%) than Murfreesboro drivers.
#10: Fort Wayne, Indiana and Pensacola, Florida
Ending the list are two cities tied again, Fort Wayne (northeast Indiana) and Pensacola (Florida panhandle). Again, both cities have comparable percentages when it comes to drivers with prior at-fault accidents on their records (15.6%), but Fort Wayne’s D.U.I. rate is more than four times that of Pensacola’s— which is surprisingly the lowest on this list at 0.68%. Maybe cars in these cities have more advanced safety features that keep them from having too many accidents.
Whether traffic accidents are caused by reckless driving or if they’re truly accidental, it’s important to be a safe driver. Fortunately, new technologies on cars are making it easier to avoid certain accidents, but it still all comes down to being a knowledgeable and responsible driver
