America's Top 2 Cities With The Worst Drivers In The Country Are Both In Tennessee

Various American states have reputations for bad drivers, from the "chaotic" roads of Rhode Island to the distracted driving common in North Dakota. A 2025 study from ConsumerAffairs analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to find the cities where the most traffic fatalities occur per 100,000 residents. The report found that the two cities with the highest proportion of traffic fatalities are both in Tennessee: Memphis and Knoxville.

According to the data, Memphis had the highest rate of traffic fatalities for a third year in a row. In 2024, there were 38.79 deaths per 100,00 residents — more than three times the national rate. The city also had the highest rates of fatal crashes involving "bad driving" and alcohol-related traffic fatalities. Additionally, a different 2025 study from the same publication found that Memphis is the second-worst city in the country in terms of pedestrian fatalities, following Albuquerque, New Mexico.

On the other hand, Knoxville had the second-highest rate of traffic fatalities in 2025 after ranking as the 25th worst in 2024 and the 12th worst in 2023. Other cities ranked in the top 10 for traffic fatalities in 2025 included Waterbury, Connecticut; Aurora, Colorado; Tucson, Arizona; Kansas City, Missouri; San Bernardino, California; Billings, Montana; Miami Gardens, Florida; and Charleston, South Carolina.

The cities of both Memphis and Knoxville are taking action on the high numbers of traffic fatalities. In 2024, Memphis announced it was putting together a Safety Action Plan to identify dangerous streets and intersections and work to reduce deaths and injuries. "One fatality or one serious injury is too many. We understand that feasibly we may not ever get to zero, but our goal should be zero," highway safety professional Doug Swett told LocalMemphis.com in 2024. "That's the vision: having zero roadway fatalities or serious injuries in our road network."

In 2023, Knoxville adopted an international strategy called Vision Zero with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities on city-controlled roads by 2040. "Preventing any fatalities ‒ period ‒ is our number one goal. We look at safety as a whole," Knoxville Vision Zero coordinator Cody Gentry told Knox News in 2025. "What I point out is when you're looking at traffic safety, it relates to vehicles versus pedestrians versus cyclists. If you design for safety, if the most vulnerable person is safe, the least vulnerable person will be safe as well."