Accidents and vehicle breakdowns can happen anywhere. But where are you most likely to get in an accident in the United States? What are the worst cities for drivers?
We found two studies in the last year that rank the worst cities for drivers in the U.S.
NerdWallet’s scoring system for the worst cities for drivers in the U.S. included how long drivers are in a delay, traffic congestion, weather, available parking, car insurance, gas costs and likelihood for accidents. Here was their list of the ten worst cities for drivers:
- Boston – bad weather and traffic congestion combine to make this the worse place for car drivers. Bostonians face an average of 53 hours of traffic delays per year.
- Washington, D.C. – Drivers in DC face more delays than anyone in the country with an average of 67 hours per year.
- Los Angeles – LA drivers can expect 61 hours of delays each year with over half of the city’s commuters traveling during peak hours.
- Miami – Drivers in sunny Miami pay an average of $1,750.10 per year for auto insurance, 59% higher than the national average. Miami drivers also spend an extra 47 hours in traffic due to delays.
- Chicago – Weather gives Chicago one of the worst driving environments in the country. Add that to 51 hours of delays every year and it’s not a place you’ll enjoy driving.
- San Francisco – 53% of the population commutes creating 61 hours of traffic delays each year. In addition, the San Francisco metro area ranks 4th in the nation for auto theft.
- Philadelphia – Drivers in the City of Brotherly Love are 61% more likely to get in an accident than drivers in other cities.
- Seattle – Seattle’s 150 days of rain create poor driving conditions and bad visibility for drivers. 48 hours of traffic delays don’t help things either.
- Detroit – Drivers in Detroit pay nearly $5,000 per year for auto insurance, over 347% of the national average.
- New York City – Drivers in the Big Apple face 59 hours of delays each year.
Allstate Insurance’s annual Best Drivers report measured how likely drivers are to get in an accident to determine the cities with the most crash-prone drivers. Here is their top 10 worst cities for drivers in the U.S.:
- Boston, MA: 157.7% more likely to get in a wreck
- Worcester, MA: 120.7% more likely
- Baltimore, MD: 113.9% more likely
- Washington, DC: 106.3% more likely
- Springfield, MA: 93.1% more likely
- Providence, RI: 87.4% more likely
- Glendale, CA: 79.4% more likely
- San Francisco, CA: 65% more likely
- Philadelphia, PA: 64.4% more likely
- Los Angeles, CA: 63.3% more likely
Between the two lists, the cities that overlap are Boston, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. No matter how you look at it, Boston scores as the worst city for drivers in the U.S. Drivers in Boston get in an average of one accident every 3.3 years.
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