More than 40,000 people were killed in traffic fatalities in the U.S. in 2023, according to early estimates provided by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

The number reflects a slight drop from 2022 when 42,514 fatalities were reported but is about a 10% increase from the low benchmark of 2020 when COVID shutdowns slashed the number of drivers on the road.

Some cities report a higher percentage of dangerous motorists on the road due to distracted or impaired driving or excessive speed, making them riskier places to drive. Forbes Advisor recently analyzed NHTSB data for the 50 most populated cities across five key metrics to determine the most dangerous cities for driving in America.

The metrics include:

• Number of fatal car accidents per 100,000 city residents
• Number of fatal car accidents involving a drunk driver per 100,000 city residents
• Number of fatal car accidents involving a distracted driver per 100,000 city residents
• Number of fatal car accidents involving speeding per 100,000 city residents
• Number of people killed in fatal crashes per 100,000 city residents

Based on these factors, the most dangerous cities for driving in the U.S. are:

1. Albuquerque, New Mexico

2. Memphis, Tennessee

3. Detroit, Michigan

4. Tucson, Arizona

5. Kansas City, Missouri

6. Dallas, Texas

7. Louisville, Kentucky

8. Phoenix Arizona

9. Fort Worth, Texas

10. Tampa, Florida

Albuquerque earned its dubious distinction due to the high incidents of fatal car accidents, drunk drivers and distracted drivers. It ranked as the worst place in the country for distracted drivers; third for total number of fatal car accidents and number of people killed in fatal crashes; fifth for number of deadly wrecks that involved speeding; and sixth highest for fatal accidents involving a drunk driver.

Alabama’s score

According to the NHTSB, the number of fatal auto accidents in Alabama dropped slightly from 2022 to 2023 from 988 to 974, a decline of 1.4%.