Memphis ranks first on list of cities with the worst drivers

John Beifuss, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·3 min read

Yes, your cynical neighbor, grouchy uncle and perpetually bellyaching best buddy are correct: Memphis really does have the worst drivers in the U.S.A.

At least, that's the verdict rendered by ConsumerAffairs, a customer review and news service that collects and studies data to assess various aspects of American life.

Elevating Bluff City conventional wisdom to the status of data-driven conclusion, ConsumerAffairs last week published a report that named Memphis the winner or rather the loser among "cities with the worst drivers," based on traffic fatalities.

"Recent data from the U.S. Department of Transportation paints a sobering picture of driving conditions in Memphis," the news service reported on its website.

An aerial view of the junction between Interstate 40, Interstate 240 and Sam Cooper Boulevard mid-morning on Thursday, April 9, 2020, shows lighter than usual traffic in Memphis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An aerial view of the junction between Interstate 40, Interstate 240 and Sam Cooper Boulevard mid-morning on Thursday, April 9, 2020, shows lighter than usual traffic in Memphis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In the last recorded year (2021), bad drivers caused 203 fatal crashes in Memphis, more than any other city," the story continued, adding that "Chicago had 118, and New York City had 107."

"During the same time period, bad driving caused 19,087 fatal crashes in the U.S. This means about 1% of all fatal car crashes caused by bad driving happened on Memphis streets."

According to ConsumerAffairs, the ranking was determined from "a range of data points from the U.S. Department of Transportation, including the number of fatal crashes, the number of fatalities caused by bad driving, the number of fatalities due to driving under the influence and the prevalence of speeding in fatal accidents."

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Baton Rouge, Louisiana — the city with the most drunken-driving fatalities — was behind Memphis at No. 2 on the dishonor roll. The other "worst" cities were Albuquerque; Macon, Georgia; and St. Louis.

According to ConsumerAffairs methodology, Memphis is the worst city for drivers by a wide margin. The city's "crash score," based on the news service's criteria, is 86.6. Baton Rouge's "crash score" was 73.8, while the No. 5 city, St. Louis, scored only 47.42. The study focused on cities with a population of 100,000 or more.

The service added that Tennessee overall is a state in which drivers really need to buckle up. "Based on our analysis, several other Tennessee cities rank in the top 60 for worst drivers: Knoxville at 12th, Clarksville at 17th, Chattanooga at 19th and Nashville at 59th."

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said when early estimates of 2021 data — which ConsumerAffairs used for this study — were released. The NHTSA estimated that fatalities in motor vehicle crashes that year reached a 16-year high.

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Overall, road fatalities in the U.S. "exceed rates in most other high-income countries," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," ConsumerAffairs reported, adding that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that fatalities in motor vehicle crashes in 2021 reached a 16-year high.

"As other countries embrace innovative safety measures and sustainable transportation systems, we’re still stuck in a complex web of auto-centric urban planning," the website stated. "Not only do Americans prioritize car ownership, but we have a transportation system designed to move us quickly — not necessarily safely."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis tops list of cities in the US with the worst drivers