There are over 7.3 million motor vehicle road accidents that occur in the US every year. It is in this regard that Memphis city in the state of Tennessee has been ranked as the place with the highest number of deadly car accidents in the US. This study has been conducted by the Consumer Affairs Research Team by analyzing the car crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2022 Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the Crash Report Sampling System.

The report that has been prepared includes data pertaining to deadly and non-deadly accidents of cars, light trucks, sports utility vehicles and vans.

Report Findings

Each city and state were ranked by the number of car crashes that were recorded per 100,000 population in a defined area.

Out of 195 cities analyzed in the US, Memphis recorded 207 deadly car crashes in 2022. This meant that 33.33 car crashes were recorded per 100,000 population in the city. The national average of car crashes per 100,000 population is 11.77. Memphis recorded thrice the number of crashes as compared to the national average.

This earned it the top rank as far as the issue of car crashes are concerned. The consumer news platform reported that the city topped the infamous ranking even in the year 2021.

The top 10 cities with the greatest number of car crashes in the US are the following: Daytona Beach (Florida), Ocala (Florida), Macon (Georgia), Fort Lauderdale (Florida), Albany (Georgia), Jackson (Mississippi), Birmingham (Alabama), Tucson (Arizona), St Louis (Missouri). While Memphis topped the list as far as fatal crashes are concerned, it was ranked sixth in the year 2022. In this regard, Los Angeles topped the list with 341 crashes, followed by Houston, Phoenix, New York City and Dallas. The city with the lowest rate of car crashes was Reading in Pennsylvania. It recorded 1.05 accidents per 100,000 population.

New York City recorded 228 deadly car crashes. It was still considered to be relatively low given its population of more than 8 million. The city also has an elaborate system of public transportation, which is used by a large number of its residents.

FAQs:

How serious is the issue of intoxicated/drunken driving in the US?
Over 10,500 deaths are reported every year due to intoxicated/drunken driving in the US. This means that there is a death reported every 51 minutes due to this factor. Further, 1 out of 3 car accidents in the US is due to drunken driving.

Is there a particular time period when motor vehicle deaths in the US peak?
As per the data available, August records close to 33% of all motor vehicle deaths in the US. This is the time when the weather is good and people tend to take out their vehicles and go for long drives. This month is the last of summer vacations in the US when most children are out of school.