According to new data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ocala has the third-highest rate of fatal accidents in the country.
Last week, the NHTSA updated its records with accident data from 2022. The data provides insight into vehicle accidents that occurred all around the United States, including those that resulted in fatalities.
According to a report by Consumer Affairs, there were 20 recorded fatalities as a result of vehicular accidents. Although the sheer number of fatal crashes ranks the city 90th, the city’s fatal crash rate (30.54) is the third highest in the country.
The rate accounts for the number of accidents per 100,000 people. In Ocala’s case, the NHTSA data suggests the organization estimated the city’s population at around 65,487 residents.
Several other cities in Florida also ranked near the top of the list, including Daytona Beach (#2) and Fort Lauderdale (#5). Both of those cities had more actual fatal accidents than Ocala with 25 and 53, respectively.
The city that ranked number one on the list was Memphis, Tennessee, which saw 207 traffic fatalities in 2022. That number yielded a rate of 33.33 fatal car crashes per 100,000 people.
The data also suggests that New York City has one of the lowest traffic fatality rates in the country at 2.74, despite the city recording 228 fatal traffic accidents in 2022. That is largely due to the city’s estimated population (8.3 million+) offsetting the total number of accidents.
In total, 194 cities were included on the list, with Reading, Pennsylvania ranking last.
As a state, Florida’s rate of fatal crashes per 100,000 people (14.83) ranked 15th in the nation, just behind Kentucky. Overall, the state had the third highest number of fatal crashes in 2022 with 3,298.
Despite being beat out by California and Texas, each of the three largest states in the U.S. all have over double the number of fatal traffic accidents than the next closest state (Georgia – 1,678).
To read the complete list, visit the Consumer Affairs Journal of Consumer Research online.
