Fresno ranks among top 10 spots in US for speeders. Here’s how much drivers ‘push the limit’

Pedal to the medal? Fresno is among the top 10 spots in the nation for speeding drivers, according to LendingTree.

The online marketplace, which connects borrowers to lenders, ranked the 50 largest cities in the United States based on speeding-related incidents.

“A lot of Americans like to push the limit with their driving speed — some too far,” LendingTree said.

That can mean higher insurance rates for individual drivers, the website said.

Portland, Oregon, was the No. 1 city on the LendingTree’s list of the top cities for speeders with 11.61 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers. Those including speeding tickets and car crashes.

Kansas City took second place with 9.45 speeding-related incidenss, and Jacksonville, Florida, took third place with 9.01 incidents.

In contrast, New York has the lowest rate at 1.80 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers, LendingTree’s study found, followed by Louisville, Kentucky, and Boston.

Why is Fresno one of the top 10 US cities for speeding?

Only one California city landed on the list of the top 10 spots in the United States where drivers are mostly likely to exceed the speed limit.

The Central Valley city came it ninth place with 7.15 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers.

In comparison, Sacramento was No. 42 on the list with 3.76 speeding-related incidents and Bakersfield was No. 46 with 3.24 incidents

It’s not the first time Fresno motorists have come under scrutiny in recent months.

According to Forbes Advisor, Fresno has some of the worst drivers in the nation.

In February, the publication ranked 50 of the most populated cities in the United States that have the highest number of dangerous drivers — looking at factors such as the number of fatal car crashes per 100,000 residents in each city, as well as incidents that involved drunk drivers, speeding and distracted drivers.

Fresno was No. 22 on that list.

What are the top 10 cities in the US for speeders?

These 10 cities had the most speeding-related traffic incidents per 1,000 drivers in the United States, according to Lending Tree:

1. Portland, Oregon
2. Kansas City
3. Jacksonville, Florida
4. Chicago
5. Colorado Springs, Colorado
6. Atlanta
7. Seattle
8. Milwaukee
9. Fresno
10. Omaha, Nebraska

Which age groups are most likely to break the speed limit?

According to LendingTree, one age group in particular feels the need for speed.

Members of Generation Z — defined by the Pew Research Center as those born between 1997 and 2005 — had 11.87 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers, the study found.

Those drivers were 18 to 26 years old in 2023.

Here’s how Gen Z compared to other age groups:

• Millennials (ages 27 to 42 in 2023): 6.73 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers
• Generation X (ages 43 to 58): 4.94 incidents
• Baby boomers (ages 59 to 77): 3.22 incidents
• Silent generation (ages 78 to 95): 4.25 incidents

Does the vehicle you drive make a difference?

According to LendingTree, Subaru drivers are the speediest in the nation with 7.96 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers.

Here’s how other popular vehicle makes compare:

• BMW: 6.78 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers
• Infiniti: 6.71 incidents
• Volkswagen: 6.68 incidents
• Volvo: 6.61 incidents
• Ram: 6.54 incidents

How did Lending Tree come up with its rankings?

To come up with the rankings, researchers analyzed tens of millions of QuoteWizard by LendingTree insurance quotes from June 9, 2023, through June 9, 2024.

LendingTree calculated the number of speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers in the 50 largest U.S. cities in terms of population, determining the:

• Speediest drivers by generation
• Speediest drivers by vehicle make
• Speediest drivers by vehicle model

To gauge the average annual cost of a full-coverage insurance policy, LendingTree researchers gathered quotes for a 2015 Honda Civic EX driven by a 30-year-old man with a good credit score, with and without a speeding incident.

LendingTree’s analysis used insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services.

Sarah Linn

The Tribune

805-781-7907

Sarah Linn is an editor and reporter on the West Service Journalism Team, working with journalists in Sacramento, Modesto, Fresno, Merced and San Luis Obispo in California and Bellingham, Olympia and Tri-Cities in Washington, as well as Boise, Idaho. She previously served as the Local/Entertainment Editor of The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, working there for nearly two decades. A graduate of Oregon State University, she has earned multiple California journalism awards.