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Detroit Rated Most Dangerous City For Drivers In The U.S.

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) -- Detroit has a history of landing on some less-than-flattering national lists.

This time, Detroit has grabbed the top spot in the nation as the country's most dangerous city for drivers.

Financial analytics website NerdWallet recently ranked the safest and most dangerous cities for drivers in the United States according to accidents, fatal crashes, vehicle-related crimes and other parameters while also factoring in car insurance rates.

The study found that Detroit averages 16.2 fatal accidents per 100,000 residents, second highest in the nation behind Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"Of all cities analyzed, Detroit has the second-highest fatal accident rate per 100,000 residents at 16.2. The average annual cost of insurance in Detroit ($5,409) is $4,680 higher than that of our safest city for drivers, Cary, North Carolina. As with four of our five most dangerous cities for drivers, Detroit received ratings that fall within the "least safe" range for car break-ins and stolen cars."

Top five most dangerous cities for drivers:

  1. Detroit, MI
  2. Baton Rouge, LA
  3. Baltimore, MD
  4. Springfield, MA
  5. San Bernardino, CA

Top five safest cities for drivers:

  1. Cary, NC
  2. Boise, ID
  3. Fort Collins, CO
  4. Naperville, IL
  5. Santa Clarita, CA

The study also found that larger cities tend to be more dangerous than smaller ones, with the average population size of the top 20 most dangerous cities being 488,710. New York City is the exception, however, ranking as the 34th safest.

As expected, insurance rates in the most dangerous cities were found to be 47 percent more expensive than in the safest. In Detroit, drivers pay 642 percent more, on average, for car insurance than in the safest city, Cary, North Carolina.

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