This California city is the worst in US for drivers, new Forbes study says. Here’s why

The worst city to drive in the United States is in California , a new national study says.

According to Forbes Advisor — an editorial financial research team — drivers in Oakland have it the worst.

To identify the “worst cities to drive in,” Forbes Advisor conducted the study by analyzing data on driving experience, safety, cost of car ownership and access to car maintenance for the 47 most populated cities in the United States.

Data was collected from government databases, independently-owned company databases and non-profit organizations, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Energy, AAA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and more, to assign scores and rank the cities.

Here’s how Forbes Advisor ranked Oakland and other California cities:

Why is Oakland the worst city to drive in?

The city scored 100 out of 100 due to its large number of fatal car accidents, high gas prices and long commute times.

Oakland ranked second-worst for the cost of car ownership. The average driver spends $4.52 per gallon of regular gasoline at the pump, $1,642 on gas annually while stuck in traffic congestion and $3,680 a year on car insurance.

Oakland ranked ninth for the worst driving experience.

It takes the average driver in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area about 21 minutes to travel 6 miles. Drivers spend about 97 hours a year stuck in traffic.

From 2020 to 2022, the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area had the fourth-highest car theft rate, with about 677 cars stolen per 100,000 residents.

Which other California cities made the list of worst cities for drivers?

San Francisco was the second California city to rank on Forbes’ list, taking third place in the top 10 worst cities to drive in the U.S.

The city scored 96.6 out of 100.

Average drivers spend about $4.72 per gallon of regular gasoline at the pump and $1,642 annually while stuck in traffic.

Out of the top 25 worst cities to drive in, Los Angeles took 11th place, with a score of 79.8, and Long Beach ranked No. 20, with a score of 68.2 out of 100.

Both cities experienced about 532 car thefts per 100,000 residents and about s even fatal car accidents per 100,000 residents annually.

With a score of 62.8 out of 100, Sacramento ranked No. 23 for worst cities to drive in.

Sacramento drivers reported about 10 fatal car accidents per 100,000 residents annually. From 2020 to 2022, the city experienced about 394 car thefts per 100,000 residents.

How did other U.S. cities rank?

Here are the top 25 worst cities to drive in and their overall scores, according to Forbes Advisor:

1. Oakland - 100
2. Miami, Florida - 98.7
3. San Francisco - 96.6
4. Houston, Texas - 96.5
5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 96.3
6. New York City, New York - 92.6
7. Chicago, Illinois - 84.9
8. Atlanta, Georgia - 84.9
9. Dallas, Texas - 84
10. Portland, Oregon - 80.8
11. Los Angeles - 79.8
12. Baltimore, Maryland - 79.6
13. Washington, D.C. - 79.2
14. Denver, Colorado - 76.4
15. Boston, Massachusetts - 76
16. Las Vegas, Nevada - 71.3
17. Fort Worth, Texas - 71
18. Louisville, Kentucky - 70.5
19. Seattle, Washington - 70.5
20. Long Beach - 68.2
21. Austin, Texas - 67.5
22. Jacksonville, Florida - 67.5
23. Sacramento - 62.8
24. Tampa, Florida - 61.2
25. Memphis, Tennessee - 61

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