America's Safest Places to Drive Named

Raleigh, N.C., ranks first among best cities for driving while Irvine, Calif., takes the top spot for safest place to drive, according to a new report from WalletHub that explores the most driver-friendly cities in the U.S.

Other cities that made the top five list for best places to drive include Corpus Christi, Texas; Orlando, Florida; Greensboro, N.C.; and Plano, Texas.

The three worst cities for driving include Oakland, San Francisco, and Detroit, according to the report.

WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 29 key metrics including average gas prices, annual hours in traffic congestion, and accident likelihood.

While Irvine captured the top spot for overall driving safety, Madison, Wis. came in fifth in overall safety. The city can boast the lowest accident likelihood than any other city compared with the national average.

Boise, Idaho; Laredo, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; and Mesa, Arizona also scored among the top five when it comes to fewest accidents.

Conversely, the five cities that experience the highest accident likelihood include Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Boston.

Traffic congestion is another issue that can impact on safe driving, which can lead to anything from fender benders to road rage.

Motorists seeking to avoid congestion should head to Greensboro, Wichita, and Corpus Cristi, which ranked as the top three least-congested places to drive.

In fact, Greensboro residents spend the fewest annual hours in traffic congestion per auto commuter (four), which is 25.5 times fewer than in Los Angeles, the city where residents spend the most at 102.

Additional cities that have the highest annual hours spent in congestion per auto commuter include: Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Atlanta. 

In terms of overall safety in driving, St. Louis took last place.

The report also explores car theft data. Gilbert, Arizona, has the fewest car thefts per 1,000 residents, 0.49, which is 33.1 times fewer than in Oakland — the city with the most at 16.23.

Read the full report here.

Originally posted on Automotive Fleet