1 VA City, DC Have Some Of 'Best Drivers' Of Any Big City: Study

WASHINGTON, DC — Across the country, the rate of fatal crashes is rising, increasing by nearly 10 percent from 2020 to 2022.

Traffic and crashes are a headache in the DC-Northern Virginia region, but according to one study, the District is home to some of the safest drivers in the nation. Washington, D.C., was in the bottom 10 of 50 cities ranked for crashes.

Washington, D.C., ranked 45th out of the 50 cities scored for safety. The District's tally for fatal car accidents (4.82 per 100,000 city residents), the number of fatal accidents involving speeding (2.26 per 100,000 city residents), the number of crashes that involved a distracted driver (0.24 per 100,000 city residents) and the number of fatal accidents involving a drunk driver (1.40 per 100,000 city residents).

In the Commonwealth, Virginia Beach ranks 35th among major cities for the number of fatal car accidents (6.32 per 100,000 city residents), the number of fatal accidents involving speeding (2.28 per 100,000 city residents), the number of crashes that involved a distracted driver (0.66 per 100,000 city residents) and the number of fatal accidents involving a drunk driver (2.24 per 100,000 city residents).

Nearby Baltimore ranks 32nd among major cities for the number of fatal car accidents (7.54 per 100,000 city residents), the number of fatal accidents involving speeding (2.74 per 100,000 city residents), the number of crashes that involved a distracted driver (.32 per 100,000 city residents) and the number of fatal accidents involving a drunk driver (2.00 per 100,000 city residents).

The study comes from Forbes Advisor and compared the 50 most-populated cities across five metrics. Data for these metrics comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool. For each metric, Forbes took a five-year average, using data from 2017 to 2021.

Here are the top ten cities with the best drivers, according to Forbes:

1. Boston
2. San Francisco
3. New York City
4. Minneapolis
5. Las Vegas
6. Washington, D.C.
7. Oakland
8. Raleigh
9. San Diego
10. Philadelphia

At the opposite end of the spectrum, these cities have the worst drivers in the country, according to Forbes:

1. Albuquerque
2. Memphis
3. Detroit
4. Tucson
5. Kansas City
6. Dallas
7. Louisville
8. Phoenix
9. Fort Worth
10. Tampa

Albuquerque ranked high in the incidence of fatal accidents, drunk driving, and distracted driving, according to Forbes. The highest rate of fatal car crashes was in Detroit.

Check out the full report at Forbes.