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These Are America’s Safest (And Most Dangerous) Cities For Drivers

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32,675 people died in motor vehicle accidents in 2014. We do not have the numbers for 2015, but we can be pretty sure the figures are similar. It is a huge number. In fact, the level of unsafety that we tolerate as far as driving is concerned is quite unreal when you think about it.

Of course, not all cities are the same when it comes to traffic safety. While there are cities where going out in traffic is tantamount to playing Russian roulette, there are also those where people are much safer in traffic.

People from NerdWallet conducted a study that focused on driver safety in 200 cities and towns around the United States.

They looked at five metrics: the likelihood of being involved in an accident relative to other urban centers, the rate of crashes with fatal outcomes, the risk of getting one’s vehicle stolen or broken into, the average number of years between accidents, and the average auto insurance rates. The cities were then awarded a score and ranked accordingly from the safest to the least safe.

According to NerdWallet, the safest city for drivers in the entire U.S. is Cary, North Carolina. The city has just over 150,000 residents and in 2014, only two fatal car accidents happened there. The annual average for auto insurance is a meager $720. Cary earned the final score of 84.2.

Boise, Idaho is the biggest city that made it to the Top 5 safest cities with less than 4 fatal car accidents per 100,000 residents. Your chances of getting into a car accident are 23.5 percent lower than the national average and the average number of years between accidents is 13.1. The overall score for Boise is 76.8.

Fort Collins

Fort Collins

The third safest city for drivers is Fort Collins, Colorado, despite the fact that their annual auto insurance premiums are a hefty $1,212. This is definitely a lot for a city that has only 3.2 fatal accidents per 100,000 residents and where your chances of getting involved in a car accident are more than 20 percent lower than the national average.

Naperville, Illinois is the fourth safest city with a very low chance of motor vehicle theft or auto larceny. This is what helped Naperville get into the Top 5 Safest Cities, even though you are actually more likely to get into a car accident there than in the rest of the country, on average.

Santa Clarita, California, the fifth safest city, also has an increased likelihood of getting into a car accident when compared to the national average, but it boasts a very low rate of fatal accidents, with only 2.8 per every 100,000 residents. It is also a city where your vehicle is going to be very, very safe.

On the other hand, we have the least safe cities in the United States and according to the NerdWallet research, the absolute worst city in this regard is none other than Motor City itself, Detroit, Michigan. Detroit barely got the score of 28.2 thanks to the high chance of vehicle theft and auto larceny. The city also has more than 16 fatal accidents per 100,000 residents and the likelihood of getting into an accident in Detroit is 16 percent higher than the national average. On top of all that, the average annual car insurance rate is more than $5,400!

Baton Rouge, Louisiana is the second least safe city for drivers with the likelihood of getting into an accident being 27 percent greater than the national average. The city also reported more fatal accidents per 100,000 residents than Detroit and it only avoided the last place by boasting a somewhat lower chance of motor vehicle theft.

Baltimore, Maryland is the third least safe city for drivers and we will leave you with only a single number. 113.9. The accident likelihood in Baltimore is 113.9 greater than the national average. In essence, you are more than twice as likely to be involved in an accident in Baltimore than in the rest of the country.

Springfield, Massachusetts is not much better, as the likelihood of getting into an accident there is 93 percent greater than in the rest of the country. Your car is also incredibly unsafe in Springfield.

The same can also be said for San Bernardino, California, which landed in the fifth spot from the bottom.

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