Community Corner

Philly Drivers Ranked Second-Worst in U.S.

One report has the Greater Philadelphia Area as home to the nation's second-worst drivers.

Contrary to how you might feel on the Schuylkill Expressway at 9 in the morning, Philadelphia is not home to the country’s worst drivers. 

It is, however, home to the country’s second-worst drivers, according to Slate's ranking.

Slate.com released a list of the worst drivers in the United States and Philadelphia ranked high on the list. So high, in fact, Philly drivers are the worst in the nation outside of Florida.

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According to Slate's list, the top five, in order, are Miami, Fla.; Philadelphia, Hialeah, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; and Baltimore, Ma.

Of course, all this comes with the caveat that lists like these are hard to come by. 

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“There’s no clearinghouse for statistics on bad driving based on uniform methodology for every city,” Slate said in its story. “This effort … [involves] compromises and educated guesses, along with a healthy dose of personal opinion.”

That said, the Philly area did come in second nationwide in overall collision and pedestrian strikes.

Check out the full story on Slate here. 

Washington, D.C., which usually tops these sorts of rankings, is only No. 16 on Slate's list, because it has a low number of DWI fatalities. Boston, often cited as a huge offender, is at No. 31; Slate found the Massachusetts city has few deaths stemming from auto accidents. 

The publication cobbled together its list using statistics from Allstate Insurance Company's annual “America’s Best Drivers Report,” lists of municipalities with the most drunk drivers, the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s Housing and Transportation Affordability Index, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's automobile fatality data and other sources.

You tell us: Is this list bogus? Are Philly’s drivers really among the worst? Let us know what you think in the comments.


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