Think Fresno drivers are bad? You’re right, analysis shows – but are they getting better?
The good news about driving in Fresno:
According to the latest data on traffic collisions and fatalities, Fresno has become a safer place to drive.
The bad news about driving in Fresno:
It’s still among the most dangerous cities to drive in the United States.
Fresno ranks 55th in the country as the most dangerous city to drive in and 15th overall in California, according to the latest analysis by Outdoorsy, which examined a multitude of data, including from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2019.
Compared to the rest of the nation, Fresno drivers are 31.9% more likely to experience a collision.
In addition, the city averaged 8.6 vehicle fatalities per 100,000 people, and 26.4% of the fatal collisions involved a drunken driver, the Outdoorsy analysis shows.
The analysis used data taken in 2019 by Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System, and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Total data from 2020 had not been completed for examination.
Fresno drivers have made some improvements.
Based on a 2018 analysis by Quote Wizard, Fresno had ranked 24th in the nation as the most dangerous city to drive in.
That analysis calculated incidents such as accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs, and citations.
And in a 2017 Quote Wizard analysis, Fresno had ranked as the 15th worst driving city in the nation.
Outdoorsy, whose primary function as a business is to connect potential RV renters with RV owners, ranked Dallas as the latest city with the most dangerous drivers in America.
The Outdoorsy analysis had Dallas with a 46.5% chance of experiencing a collision compared to the rest of the nation. Dallas experienced 14.3 motor fatalities per 100,000 people, with 42.4% of its fatal crashes involving a drunk driver.
The Louisiana capital of Baton Rouge was considered the second most dangerous driving city (55.1% chance of experiencing a collision, with 21.9 motor fatalities per 100,000 people and 27.7% of its fatal crashes involving a drunk driver).
And San Bernadino ranked third in the nation and topped California as the city with the most dangerous drivers (41.8% chance of experiencing a collision, with 17.9 motor fatalities per 100,000 people and 30.4% of its fatal collisions involving a drunk driver).
Other California cities listed more dangerous to drive in than Fresno according to the Outdoorsy national ranking:
- No. 15 Sacramento
- No. 18 Modesto
- No. 22 Lancaster
- No. 25 Riverside
- No. 27 Anaheim
- No. 33 Oakland
- No. 34 Fullerton
- No. 37 Long Beach
- No. 39 Ontario
- No. 40 Pomona
- No. 48 Los Angeles
- No. 50 Palmdale
- No. 51 Stockton
This story was originally published March 14, 2021 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Think Fresno drivers are bad? You’re right, analysis shows – but are they getting better?."