Most Dangerous Driving Destinations in the US
TEXT SIZE:
AAAVisionstyler-Press, flickr
According to the 2010 Allstate America's Best Drivers Report, not all destinations are equal when it comes to driving safety. The sixth annual report ranks America's 193 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency and the bottom dwellers include some of the most popular cities in the U.S. for travelers. One surprising find? New York City, by far the country's most populated city, ranked 35th from the bottom of the list.
Below are five popular cities that rank on or at the bottom of Allstate's list. It's worth shopping around for the best car rental deals, since you'll be splurging on the extra accident insurance coverage.
Have you ever crashed a rental car in these cities? We want to hear about it! Let us know in the comments below.
5. Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles is known for brutal traffic jams and slow crawls that add hours to the shortest drives. And Allstate found that drivers in Los Angeles are 45 percent more likely to be involved in an auto accident than the national average. We can only assume that road rage played a part in a sizable share of those incidents.
4. San Francisco, California
It's little wonder the City by the Bay ranked near the bottom of Allstate's list, a distinction it has held every year of the report. "A city of one-way streets, near-vertical hills and kamikaze bike messengers, San Francisco puts visiting drivers to the test. For the most part, public transportation is your best bet," cautions the San Francisco Chronicle. And when the public transportation is one of the most iconic symbols of the city, that isn't bad advice. Park the car at the hotel and hop on a cable car.
3. Providence, Rhode Island
With an estimated population of 171,557 residents, Providence, Rhode Island, is one of the least populous cities hovering near the bottom of Allstate's list. The reason behind this distinction is the outdated infrastructure. The city's highway system, built to accommodate just 75,000 vehicles a day, has become overrun with more than 160,000 vehicles daily. But it may get better soon enough. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is undergoing a $610 million project, known as the Iway, that will improve traffic flow and safety while relocating the harried I-195 and I-95 intersections.
2. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
There are lots of things to do in the City of Brotherly Love. Take a jog up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, get grossed out at the Mutter Museum, then (if you can stomach it) eat lunch at the Reading Terminal Market. One thing you may not want to do: get behind the wheel. Drivers in Philadelphia assume a roughly 53 percent greater likelihood of experiencing an auto accident than the national average.
1. Washington, D.C.
The nation's capital bottoms out Allstate's list as the most dangerous U.S. city for drivers. This will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever tried to navigate Route 50. Not helping matters is the fact that Baltimore, a short drive away, ranked second from the bottom on the list. That's a one-two punch of driving peril in our nation's Capitol.
Want to know which cities rank as the safest places to drive? Book a trip to Fort Collins, Colorado, where you can make a trip to the Discovery Center Science Museum without worry. Or how about a visit to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and a stop at the National Knife Museum? Rounding out the top five are Boise, Idaho, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Knoxville, Tennessee.
- 10 Most Haunted Cities in America (Photo Gallery) [Huffington Post]
- Local Taboos That Trip Up Travelers [Fox News]
- Top 10 Foodie Drives Across the Country [National Geographic]
- 10 Ultimate Party Cities Around the Globe (Photos) [Lonely Planet]
- World's Tiniest Tourist Attractions [Conde Nast Traveler]
Add a Comment
US is one of the highest populated city.Not only the above mentioned cities but in others parts of the city also you can find the same amount of traffic.. It was unforgettable incident of Giorgia where a big truck smashed the bmw car... Used trucks
January 27 2011 at 5:36 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYes even i had saw that incident and it was really bad...
Used trucks
I suppose none of you have driven in Dallas, Texas.
There are more serious wrecks here and it is everyday.
I would never suggest anyone drive in Dallas.
I have driven in all but 2 of the 50 states (Maine and Rhode Island) and to my thinking Atlanta is by far the worst in the country. Washington DC is really not that bad as long as you avoid the going to work and coming home crowd. I find it almost comical in DC th.t there can be virtually no traffic during the day and then shortly before 4 in the afternoon they take tow trucks down the street and start writing tickets and pulling them up on the sidewalk. By 4:15 you have total gridlock! Watched it several times over the years. LA and SF are both pretty bad but can't hold a candle go some of the others.
And another absolute nightmare is Austin and Houston TX. Their rush hour traffic jams last pretty much around the clock. Then there is naturally San Antonio...constant construction, about half the populace can't read or write english therefore signs mean absolutely nothing, and a whole different interpretation of some long used signage. For instance: STOP here means means something along the lines of "yield unless you think the oncoming traffic MIGHT be able to stop before they hit you. Yield signs on the other hand seem to simply not apply to most people here...if anything it means the world is supposed to yeild to these people! "Right on red after stop" is assumed by most to also mean and you can turn on red IF there is no traffic with a green light. Not here, where it is more like the stop sign mentioned above. It is interpreted as consider slowing down but only stop if there is a white cop in the vehicle you or you are thouroughly convinced the that semi coming down the other road can't possible stop before it broad sides you.
I do have to admit, DC is the only place I can think of right off the bat where signs for a couple of miles tell you if you want to take exit "X" you need to move over to the right lane. Only after you have politely complied with said signs do you get to the one that "Exit X Next Left"!!!!! Saw that one not once but twice. I didn't fall for it the second time.
I am a NYC/NJ driver and from driving on 95 down to the FL Keys every year for over 20 years___I think the Miami area is in a league all by itself because of the combination of speed and careless driving. Like another poster said "At least they are barely moving in NYC"
But in the Miami area on 95 weaving in and out rapidly back and forth across 3 and 4 lanes at a time at 60+MPH is a recipe for disasters.
NYC, LA, Philly, DC etc. may have more fender benders, but they are mostly very minor damage compared to the Miami area total wrecks.
I was stationed in DC for 3 years in the Army. I more than earned my Driver's Badge- 50,000 accident-free miles! If you can drive in Washington DC...you can drive ANYWHERE in the world. After DC, I went to Seoul, Korea- piece of cake. Germany was a cinch also.
October 12 2010 at 12:41 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySEVERAL YEARS AGO, I WAS GOING SOUTH ON L'ENFANT PLAZA. APPROACHED THE TEE INTERSECTION. SAW CARS GOING LEFT. I STOPPED, STARTED OFF TO THE LEFT, AND RAN INTO A BARE STEEL POST IN THE MEDIAN. AIR BAGS AND ALL AT 5 MPH. THE POST WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A "NO LEFT TURN " SIGN HANGING ON IT. BEING CLOSE TO NOON, THE SIGN WAS IN A SHADOW OF THE BUILDING JUST BEHIND IT. NEVER SAW IT. HAD THE SIGN BEEN ON THE POST, I WOULD HAVE SEEN IT. SO MUCH FOR ROAD SIGN MAINTENANCE....
October 11 2010 at 11:12 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDamn, and i thought Orlando was bad, but after reading these posts, I won't complain anymore, LOL! Worst place I've ever driven though personally, is Cebu City, Philippines, talk about insanity, though Manila is far worse, I refuse to drive there.
October 11 2010 at 10:41 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySince population growth is exponential, the city streets were not originally designed for a population so large... I'm surprised NYC is not on there.
October 11 2010 at 9:42 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyCan't believe New York didn't make the list.
October 11 2010 at 9:37 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot 5 Deals
Find the best offers to compare and save money.
Search for Deals
Gadling
May 18th 2013 5:00PM
May 18th 2013 3:01PM
May 18th 2013 2:00PM
May 18th 2013 1:00PM
Categories
- Adventure Travel
- Air Travel
- Arts & Culture
- Beach
- Best Of
- Budget
- Celebrity
- Cruise
- Disney
- EcoTravel
- Family
- Food + Drink
- Historic Sites
- Holiday Travel
- Hotel
- Luxury
- News
- Nightlife
- Real Life Stories
- Road Trips
- Romantic
- Seasonal
- Spring Break
- Ski Vacations
- Spa & Wellness
- Tips & Tricks
- Weekend Getaways
- Weird







Comments