A new study examining fatal alcohol-related car crashes in large metropolitan areas found that St. Paul, Minnesota, is in the Top 10 for fewest alcohol-related driving deaths per capita. Additionally, no Minnesota cities were named in the Top 25 cities with the most alcohol-related fatal car crashes.
The study published by NerdWallet.com examined car crash data from cities across the US from 2010-2012. To analyze how citizens in one state dealt with a DUI compared to those in another state, researchers also tracked:
- Average car insurance premium
- Average car insurance premium after a DUI
- Total number of fatal alcohol-related car crashes
- City population
- Fatal alcohol-related crashes per capita
The Best and the Worst
California led the way in cities with the highest rate of alcohol-related deaths per capita, as two California cities cracked the Top 5 and four made their way into the Top 10. See the chart below for the cities with the highest rate of fatal alcohol-related car accidents per capita.
1. San Bernadino, CA
2. Mobile, AL
3. Riverside, CA
4. Tulsa, OK
5. Lubbock, TX
While California may hold the dubious distinction of having four cities in the Top 10 of the above list, they also claimed the top three spots on the list of cities with the fewest fatal alcohol-related car crashes. The five major cities with the fewest deaths are:
1. Moreno Valley, CA
2. Glendale, CA
3. Santa Rosa, CA
4. Arlington, VA
5. Aurora, IL
Although it didn’t crack the Top 5, St. Paul finished as the ninth best city for fewest fatal alcohol-related crashes. Only 0.0140 residents per 1,000 perished in such an accident between 2010-2012.
Also, car insurance premiums in St. Paul didn’t spike very much compared to other states. Research shows that the average St. Paulian can expect their insurance to rise about 30 percent after a DUI. Conversely, residents in Durham, North Carolina, can expect their insurance to increase an average of 157 percent after a DUI.
For more information about the study, head on over to NerdWallet.
