15 Worst Cities for Speeding [2024 Update]

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that despite the risks, approximately 70 percent of American drivers report speeding at least some of the time. Each year, speeding kills about 10,000 people and is responsible for nearly 30 percent of all motor vehicle deaths in the U.S. This article delves deep into the worst cities for speeding in the United States.

Fortunately, since 2005, the speeding-related fatal accident rate has decreased nationwide by about 34 percent, from 4.2 to 2.7 per 100,000 people in 2017. While speeding-related deaths among adult drivers declined slightly during that time, those among teenagers fell dramatically.

Between 2005 and 2017, the number of speeding-related fatalities per 100,000 teenagers dropped from 13.2 to 5.8—results that experts partially attribute to increased seatbelt use and decreased drinking and driving.

The CDC reports that since 2005, the proportion of teens who reported not wearing a seatbelt was cut in half. Similarly, the share of teens who reported riding with a drunk driver fell by 42 percent.

Despite improvements to the speeding fatality rate at the national level, there is significant regional variation. To determine which cities suffer the most from speeding-related fatalities, our researchers at Compare Auto Insurance analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System for the period 2013-2017.

They found that speeding tends to account for a higher percentage of traffic fatalities in the Southeast and Midwest. Additionally, four of the worst 15 cities for speeding are located in California. These are the cities where speeding problems are the worst.

If you’re on this page, you’re likely looking for auto insurance as well. But we know that auto insurance can be confusing. There’s all that industry terminology and jargon as well as the opaque reasons why auto insurance companies give you your specific rate. For that reason, we created an Auto Insurance 101 page that goes over the basics of auto insurance and links to more specific topics.

If you’re looking to jump right in and get a quote, just enter your ZIP code into our FREE online quote comparison tool. It’ll give you the best rates for your area based on your demographic information and driving history. Now, to the 15 cities with the worst speeding problem.

15 Cities with the Worst Speeding Problem

#15 – Charlotte, North Carolina

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 40.6%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 3.8 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 159
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 392

#14 – Stockton, California

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 40.7%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 3.6 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 55
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 135

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#13 – Chula Vista, California

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 41.7%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 1.9 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 25
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 60

#12 – Yonkers, New York

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 42.1%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 1.6 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 16
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 38

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#11 – Fresno, California

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 42.6%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 2.8 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 72
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 169

#10 – Aurora, Colorado

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 42.9%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 2.9 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 51
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 119

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#9 – Chicago, Illinois

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 43.4%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 2.0 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 278
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 640

#8 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 47.3%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 4.4 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 131
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 277

#7 – Saint Louis, Missouri

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 48.6%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 7.7 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 121
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 249

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#6 – Washington, District Of Columbia

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 49.2%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 1.8 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 61
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 124

#5 – Plano, Texas

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 49.2%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 2.2 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 31
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 63

#4 – Fontana, California

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 50.7%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 3.5 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 36
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 71

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#3 – Cleveland, Ohio

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 51.9%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 4.8 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 94
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 181

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#2 – Irving, Texas

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 52.2%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 4.1 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 48
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 92

#1 – North Las Vegas, Nevada

• Share of all traffic fatalities involving speeding (2013-2017): 53.9%
• Annual speeding-related fatality rate (2013-2017): 3.5 per 100k
• Total speeding-related fatalities (2013-2017): 41
• Total traffic fatalities (2013-2017): 76

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All Cities Ranked by Percentage of Speeding Deaths

City	Traffic Fatalities	Annual Fatality Rate	Total Speeding Fatalities	Total Traffic Fatalities	Population	Rank
North Las Vegas, NV	53.9%	3.5	41	76	234,389	1
Irving, TX	52.2%	4.1	48	92	235,648	2
Cleveland, OH	51.9%	4.8	94	181	388,812	3
Fontana, CA	50.7%	3.5	36	71	207,086	4
Plano, TX	49.2%	2.2	31	63	281,566	5
Washington D.C.	49.2%	1.8	61	124	672,391	6
Saint Louis, MO	48.6%	7.7	121	249	314,867	7
Milwaukee, WI	47.3%	4.4	131	277	599,086	8
Chicago, IL	43.4%	2	278	640	2,722,586	9
Aurora, CO	42.9%	2.9	51	119	357,323	10
Fresno, CA	42.6%	2.8	72	169	519,037	11
Yonkers, NY	42.1%	1.6	16	38	200,999	12
Chula Vista, CA	41.7%	1.9	25	60	264,101	13
Stockton, CA	40.7%	3.6	55	135	304,358	14
Charlotte, NC	40.6%	3.8	159	392	826,060	15
Las Vegas, NV	40.3%	3	93	231	621,662	16
Long Beach, CA	39.9%	2.5	59	148	470,489	17
Durham, NC	39.8%	2.7	35	88	257,232	18
Arlington, TX	39.7%	2.8	54	136	388,225	19
Des Moines, IA	39.7%	2.5	27	68	214,778	20
Honolulu, HI	39.4%	2.3	41	104	350,788	21
Albuquerque, NM	39.2%	4.7	130	332	556,718	22
Madison, WI	39.0%	1.3	16	41	248,856	23
Riverside, CA	38.8%	3.5	57	147	321,570	24
Wichita, KS	38.7%	3.4	67	173	389,054	25
Garland, TX	38.5%	3.1	37	96	235,965	26
Dallas, TX	38.4%	5.1	329	856	1,300,122	27
Denver, CO	38.0%	2.7	90	237	678,467	28
Santa Clarita, CA	37.5%	1.7	18	48	209,489	29
Aurora, IL	37.1%	1.3	13	35	200,946	30
Greensboro, NC	36.9%	3.7	52	141	284,816	31
Oakland, CA	36.7%	2.6	54	147	417,442	32
Rochester, NY	36.4%	2.3	24	66	209,463	33
Portland, OR	36.3%	2.1	66	182	630,331	34
Baltimore, MD	36.2%	2.2	67	185	619,796	35
Tulsa, OK	35.7%	4.3	86	241	401,352	36
Moreno Valley, CA	35.6%	2.1	21	59	203,691	37
Oklahoma City, OK	35.5%	4.7	147	414	629,191	38
Detroit, MI	35.4%	6.1	209	591	679,865	39
Los Angeles, CA	35.0%	2.3	459	1,312	3,949,776	40
Colorado Springs, CO	34.6%	2.4	54	156	450,000	41
Fayetteville, NC	34.5%	3.8	40	116	210,324	42
Fort Worth, TX	34.0%	3.5	145	427	835,129	43
San Antonio, TX	33.7%	3.8	275	815	1,461,623	44
Seattle, WA	33.3%	1.3	44	132	688,245	45
Anaheim, CA	33.1%	2.4	42	127	349,007	46
Henderson, NV	32.7%	1.3	18	55	284,817	47
Scottsdale, AZ	32.0%	2	24	75	239,283	48
Raleigh, NC	31.6%	2.4	54	171	449,477	49
Lubbock, TX	31.5%	3.3	41	130	247,323	50
Fremont, CA	31.5%	1.5	17	54	230,964	51
Modesto, CA	31.3%	2.4	25	80	210,166	52
Tacoma, WA	31.3%	2.4	25	80	207,280	53
Minneapolis, MN	31.1%	1.1	23	74	411,452	54
Fort Wayne, IN	30.9%	3.2	42	136	262,450	55
Chandler, AZ	30.9%	1.7	21	68	245,160	56
San Bernardino, CA	30.2%	4.2	45	149	215,252	57
Lincoln, NE	30.0%	1.1	15	50	277,315	58
Sacramento, CA	29.8%	3.1	76	255	489,650	59
Omaha, NE	29.7%	2	47	158	463,081	60
Buffalo, NY	29.7%	1.5	19	64	259,574	61
Saint Paul, MN	29.2%	0.9	14	48	300,820	62
Santa Ana, CA	29.1%	2	34	117	334,493	63
San Diego, CA	29.0%	1.8	124	428	1,390,966	64
San Jose, CA	29.0%	1.6	84	290	1,023,031	65
Mesa, AZ	28.9%	2.2	52	180	479,317	66
Philadelphia, PA	28.9%	1.7	137	474	1,569,657	67
Corpus Christi, TX	28.4%	2.5	40	141	322,726	68
Pittsburgh, PA	28.3%	1.7	26	92	305,012	69
Huntington Beach, CA	27.7%	1.8	18	65	200,415	70
San Francisco, CA	27.7%	1.1	46	166	864,263	71
Bakersfield, CA	26.7%	2.7	51	191	372,680	72
Indianapolis, IN	26.5%	2.8	119	449	853,431	73
Tucson, AZ	26.4%	2.8	75	284	530,905	74
Winston Salem, NC	26.4%	2.4	29	110	240,193	75
Toledo, OH	26.3%	2.2	31	118	279,455	76
Reno, NV	26.2%	1.8	22	84	239,732	77
Phoenix, AZ	26.0%	3.3	263	1,013	1,574,421	78
El Paso, TX	25.8%	2.1	70	271	678,266	79
New York, NY	25.4%	0.7	311	1,223	8,560,072	80
Atlanta, GA	25.2%	3.1	71	282	465,230	81
Virginia Beach, VA	25.0%	1.3	29	116	450,057	82
Houston, TX	24.7%	2.5	278	1,124	2,267,336	83
Gilbert, AZ	24.4%	0.9	11	45	232,176	84
Austin, TX	23.7%	2.1	95	401	916,906	85
Anchorage, AK	22.6%	1.4	21	93	298,225	86
Laredo, TX	22.5%	1.4	18	80	255,305	87
Louisville, KY	22.4%	3	91	406	615,478	88
Newark, NJ	22.0%	1.8	26	118	282,803	89
Memphis, TN	21.8%	3.3	109	500	654,723	90
Tampa, FL	21.6%	2.9	54	250	368,087	91
Nashville, TN	21.5%	2.1	68	317	654,187	92
Cincinnati, OH	21.0%	1.7	26	124	298,957	93
Jersey City, NJ	20.9%	0.7	9	43	265,932	94
Boston, MA	20.8%	0.7	25	120	669,158	95
Glendale, AZ	20.7%	2.1	25	121	241,543	96
Chesapeake, VA	20.3%	1.3	15	74	235,410	97
Boise, ID	19.0%	1.1	12	63	220,859	98
Birmingham, AL	18.6%	3.4	36	194	212,265	99
Saint Petersburg, FL	18.6%	2	26	140	256,031	100
Norfolk, VA	17.3%	1.4	17	98	245,752	101
New Orleans, LA	16.7%	2.2	42	252	388,182	102
Columbus, OH	16.4%	1	41	250	852,144	103
Miami, FL	15.7%	1.7	38	242	443,007	104
Spokane, WA	14.3%	0.8	8	56	212,982	105
Richmond, VA	14.1%	0.9	10	71	220,892	106
Oxnard, CA	13.0%	0.3	3	23	206,732	107
Baton Rouge, LA	12.4%	2.2	25	202	227,549	108
Orlando, FL	7.9%	1	13	165	269,414	109
Jacksonville, FL	6.3%	0.9	41	651	867,313	110
Montgomery, AL	5.6%	0.6	6	108	200,761	111

Frequently Asked Questions: Traffic and Rude Drivers

Now that we’ve covered the 15 worst cities for speeding, let’s get to your frequently asked questions. They include a common talked-about subject: traffic. Speeding and traffic often combine for devastating results, including multi-car wrecks, rollovers, and numerous fatalities.

Here, we’ll touch on the city with the worst traffic in the U.S. as ranked by a major traffic monitoring company, the city with the worst traffic in the world, cit a source that has the 50 worst traffic cities (in the U.S. and the world) as well as the top 20 worst traffic cities in the U.S. Other questions include:

• What is the most dangerous state to drive in?
• What city has the most aggressive drivers?
• What is the busiest highway in America?

Scroll down for the answers to those questions and many more.

#1 – Which lane do most accidents happen?

The merging lane (the one where drivers merge into when entering the highway) is considered the lane in which most accidents happen, as drivers are forced to do numerous things at once. These include accelerating, decelerating, looking over their shoulder, and more. And missteps here can cause a serious accident.

#2 – What is the most dangerous state to drive in?

The most dangerous state to drive in varies year by year but often the same states appear in the “states with the worst drivers” lists. The most dangerous is often South Carolina. It has high rates of speeding and drunk driving traffic deaths as well as poor infrastructure.

#3 – What state has the meanest drivers?

New York, probably due to the City, has the reputation of having some of the meanest drivers. The congestion, plus the aggressiveness and impatience, can contribute to a difficult and stressful driving experience.

#4 – What city has the most aggressive drivers?

Los Angeles has some of the most aggressive drivers, no doubt exacerbated by the sheer amount of traffic congestion in the city, which can cause commutes that last longer than 30 or even 40 minutes one-way.

#5 – What state has most car accidents?

Florida is the state with the most car accidents, which makes sense as it is in the top 3 of all states in terms of population and the drivers in Florida rank very low in the category of careless driving.

#6 – What is the busiest highway in America?

The busiest highway in America is I-5, which runs through the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santan Ana metropolitan area. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, that highway sees 504,000 vehicles passing through daily.

#7 – Which US city has the most traffic?

The city with the most traffic, also not a surprise, is Los Angeles. LA is the only U.S. city in TomTom’s, a worldwide traffic congestion monitoring company, list of the top 100 most congested cities in the world. For a look at all things traffic (worldwide and in the U.S.) TomTom is a great resource.

#8 – What are the four state capitals not served by an interstate?

It is certainly rare for a state capital to not have an interstate running through it. But in America, there are four. They are Juneau, Alaska, Dover, Delaware, Jefferson City, Missouri, and Pierre, South Dakota.

Methodology: Determining the Worst Cities for Speeding

Fatality statistics were obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System for the period 2013-2017. City and state population statistics were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

The following definitions were used in categorizing accidents by location in order to simplify interpretations:

• Freeway = Interstate + Non-Interstate Freeway + Expressway
• Major highway = Non-Interstate Other Principal Arterial
• Minor highway = Non-Interstate Minor Arterial
• Primary street = Collector + Local

Fatalities per 100k residents were calculated as the sum of fatalities for 2013-2017 divided by the sum of the populations for the same years, multiplied by 100,000. Only cities with at least 200,000 residents and more than one speeding-related fatality were included in the analysis.

Cities were ranked according to the percentage of all motor vehicle fatalities that had at least one vehicle speeding prior to the accident. In the event of a tie, cities with higher speeding-related fatality rates were ranked higher.

Location is not the only factor that influences the likelihood of fatal crashes due to speeding.

The rate of speeding-related fatalities also differs by demographics. About 75 percent of drivers involved in speeding-related fatal accidents are male, regardless of age. According to the IIHS, men usually drive more miles than women and are also more likely to engage in other risky driving behaviors such as not using seatbelts and driving under the influence of alcohol, which all contribute to higher fatality rates.

While speeding-related fatality rates vary across cities, rural roads, in general, have significantly higher rates of fatalities caused by speeding when compared to urban roads. Even though rural roads only account for about 30 percent of miles traveled in the U.S., they represent about 50 percent of speeding-related fatalities.

Historically, rural roads have had higher posted speed limits, which correlate to higher rates of speeding and higher fatality rates. Compared to urban roads, rural roads also have a higher incidence of rollover crashes, which can be caused by speeding. Furthermore, rural drivers might have less access to prompt medical attention after an accident, which increases the likelihood of death after injury.

Speed kills, but the recent decreases in speeding-related fatalities are promising. To equip law enforcement with the tools they need to reduce speeding on the road, the NHTSA works with local jurisdictions around the country to provide training in enforcing traffic laws.

Some of the methods that law enforcement officers use to detect speeding include radar, laser devices, VASCAR, and speed cameras. Although there are lists for the worst cities for speed traps (people dislike them), they might also reduce death rates.

Additionally, certain cities like Boston have experimented with lowering speed limits to reduce speed-related accidents.

Furthermore, some automakers have installed intelligent speed assistance (ISA) systems within cars to help drivers better monitor their own speed, and some auto insurance companies offer discounts for drivers who slow down. Tackling the speeding problem will require continued efforts from individuals, industry, law enforcement, and legislators.

Speeding traffic deaths can affect auto insurance rates, even if you’re not involved in the accident. Fortunately, there are ways to save on auto insurance. Plug in your ZIP code into our FREE online quote generator to get the best rates for your area.

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