Memphis, Tennessee ranked #1 for fatal car crashes

Deja Davis
·2 min read
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Out of the top cities where you’re most likely to die in a car accident, Memphis is ranked number one, according to Forbes Advisor.

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“The concern right now is that we’ve had 220 in Shelby County, 220 fatalities,” said Tennessee Highway Patrol Lieutenant Ashley McCarver. “It’s a five percent increase.”

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration says that there are 50% of cities with motor vehicle-related fatalities per 100,000 people and Memphis is the highest. Megan Cooper, an AAA spokesperson, says there are several contributing factors for deadly crashes.

“When we’re talking about bad behaviors and bad habits behind the wheel, we see almost everything,” Cooper said. “Speeding is a huge issue, distracted driving, impaired driving, people not wearing their seatbelts. You know those really simple things that takes us back to Traffic Safety 101.”

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An increase in deadly crashes isn’t just a Memphis problem.

“Statewide, we’re seeing this across the board. We’re up on the state level with more fatalities than what we were seeing at this point last year looking at data from the Highway Safety Office here in Tennessee,” Cooper said.

Drivers also face a 100% increased chance of becoming involved in an accident in dangerous cities.

Here are the top cities with the highest fatal car accident rates:

  1. Memphis, Tennessee

  2. Detroit, Michigan

  3. Tucson, Arizona

  4. Jacksonville, Florida

  5. Albuquerque, New Mexico

  6. Louisville, Kentucky

  7. Kansas City, Missouri

  8. Dallas, Texas

  9. Atlanta, Georgia

  10. Tampa, Florida

Of course, car accidents happen everywhere, but according to reports, Memphis is even ranked high for most likely to get into a car accident or collision.

Here are the top ten cities that are most likely to have a car wreck:

  1. Atlanta, Georgia

  2. Dallas, Texas

  3. Baltimore, Maryland

  4. Detroit, Michigan

  5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  6. Memphis, Tennessee

  7. Fresno, California

  8. Houston, Texas

  9. Louisville, Kentucky

  10. Los Angeles, California

Allstate’s Best Drivers Index says that there are 25% of cities with the highest relative likelihood of a collision.

As for now, the push is on getting more troopers on Memphis roadways in hopes of helping reduce fatal crashes.

“We still are recruiting to get more troopers in the Memphis and Shelby County area and just overall build the agency up as we’re getting more funding from the state budget,” McCarver said.

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