Unsafe At Any Speed – The Most Dangerous Cities to Ride Through On Your Motorcycle in America
When you’re out on the road, there are a few places in the United States where you’d do well to stay particularly vigilant on your motorcycle, and for some pretty evident reasons, a lot of them are in the South.
A third of the fifteen cities on this list are in Florida.
Why, you may rightly ask, does Florida appear to be the most dangerous place in America to ride?
Snowbirds.
Lots of New York City residents head for Florida when it’s time to retire, and they find themselves driving for the first time in their lives out of necessity. There’s not much in the way of public transportation in Florida, and a high concentration of those from foreign lands, tourists driving while distracted by a carload of kids in the back seat, and senior citizens in abundance clogging the roads make it a crap shoot to ride your motorcycle in the Sunshine State.
Need more reasons to have the hair on the back of your neck stand up at the prospect of taking a long ride through Florida? How about considering the absolute glut of spring break bound drivers on the way to the beaches who are generally afflicted with compromised vision, reflexes and way too many beers.
It’s a bit of a surprise that Los Angeles didn’t make list, but the City of Angels did tot up the most Fatalities overall at 293.
The Best of the Worst:
15. Oklahoma City, Okla.
Population: 551,789
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 13.41
Fatalities: 74
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 13.5
14. Birmingham, Ala.
Population: 228,798
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 13.55
Fatalities: 31
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 15.2
13. Tulsa, Okla.
Population: 385,635
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.00
Fatalities: 54
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 18.5
12. St. Petersburg, Fla.
Population: 245,314
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.27
Fatalities: 35
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 28.6
11. Jacksonville, Fla.
Population: 807,815
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.36
Fatalities: 116
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 13.8
10. Lubbock, Texas
Population: 220,483
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.97
Fatalities: 33
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 15.2
9. Memphis, Tenn.
Population: 669,651
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 15.08
Fatalities: 101
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 11.9
8. Jackson, Miss.
Population: 173,861
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 15.53
Fatalities: 27
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 18.5
7. Chattanooga, Tenn.
Population: 170,880
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 16.39
Fatalities: 28
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 17.9
6. Salt Lake City, Utah
Population: 181,698
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 16.51
Fatalities: 30
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 26.7
5. San Bernardino, Calif.
Population: 198,580
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 17.12
Fatalities: 38
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 15.8
4. Little Rock, Ark.
Population: 189,515
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 17.94
Fatalities: 34
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 26.5
3. Augusta-Richmond Co., Ga.
Population: 194,149
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 19.57
Fatalities: 38
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 15.8
2. Orlando, Fla.
Population: 230,519
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 19.95
Fatalities: 46
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 10.9
1. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Population: 183,126
Fatality rate per 100,000 population: 22.39
Fatalities: 41
Percentage pedestrian fatalities: 24.4
Places where you might be a touch safer:
- Arlington , Va. (0.48)
- Vancouver, Wash. (1.23)
- Moreno Valley, Calif. (1.57)
- Rochester, N.Y. (1.93)
- Spokane, Wash. (1.98)
- Lincoln, Neb. (1.99)
- Aurora, Ill. (2.33)
- St. Paul, Minn. (2.50)
- Omaha, Neb. (2.51)
- Jersey City, N.J. (2.90)
Bad things can happen to you and your bike, and buying motorcycle insurance can be a complicated chore.