Quick answer
According to crimebycity.com's analysis of NHTSA data, the most dangerous city to drive in in North Carolina is Lumberton, NC with 30.4 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents per year (Road Danger Score 98/100), vs a US average of 12.3.
Highest Traffic-Fatality Rates in North Carolina
Cities ranked by Road Danger Score — 5-year traffic deaths per 100,000 residents from NHTSA FARS.
| # | City | Danger Score | Deaths per 100K/yr | Deaths (5-Yr) | Alcohol % | Speeding % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lumberton | 98/100 | 30.4 | 29 | 21% | 38% |
| 2 | Asheville | 92/100 | 18.7 | 89 | 16% | 29% |
| 3 | Wilson | 92/100 | 18.4 | 44 | 18% | 21% |
| 4 | Mount Airy | 90/100 | 17.0 | 9 | 11% | 22% |
| 5 | Kinston | 89/100 | 16.6 | 16 | 25% | 38% |
| 6 | Lenoir | 89/100 | 16.5 | 15 | 20% | 33% |
| 7 | Thomasville | 87/100 | 16.0 | 22 | 20% | 35% |
| 8 | Salisbury | 86/100 | 15.3 | 28 | 4% | 26% |
| 9 | Statesville | 86/100 | 15.2 | 23 | 36% | 27% |
| 10 | Rocky Mount | 86/100 | 15.1 | 41 | 24% | 34% |
| 11 | Smithfield | 83/100 | 14.0 | 9 | 22% | 22% |
| 12 | Morehead City | 83/100 | 14.0 | 7 | 29% | 29% |
| 13 | Graham | 82/100 | 13.9 | 13 | 0% | 36% |
| 14 | Greensboro | 82/100 | 13.7 | 209 | 25% | 37% |
| 15 | Henderson | 81/100 | 13.5 | 10 | 22% | 56% |
| 16 | Lexington | 80/100 | 13.1 | 13 | 15% | 23% |
| 17 | Sanford | 79/100 | 12.9 | 20 | 12% | 24% |
| 18 | Winterville | 79/100 | 12.8 | 7 | 29% | 43% |
| 19 | Kannapolis | 74/100 | 11.9 | 36 | 9% | 16% |
| 20 | Monroe | 74/100 | 11.8 | 23 | 15% | 30% |
| 21 | Hickory | 73/100 | 11.6 | 26 | 39% | 26% |
| 22 | Asheboro | 73/100 | 11.6 | 16 | 0% | 19% |
| 23 | Fayetteville | 72/100 | 11.5 | 121 | 20% | 32% |
| 24 | Burlington | 72/100 | 11.5 | 35 | 21% | 53% |
| 25 | Winston-Salem | 71/100 | 11.3 | 143 | 22% | 26% |
| 26 | Gastonia | 69/100 | 11.0 | 47 | 20% | 46% |
| 27 | Elizabeth City | 67/100 | 10.5 | 10 | 10% | 40% |
| 28 | Spring Lake | 67/100 | 10.5 | 6 | 17% | 50% |
| 29 | Charlotte - Mecklenburg | 66/100 | 10.3 | 516 | 35% | 43% |
| 30 | Morganton | 66/100 | 10.2 | 9 | 0% | 25% |
| 31 | Kings Mountain | 65/100 | 10.0 | 6 | 17% | 17% |
| 32 | Garner | 64/100 | 9.8 | 18 | 29% | 50% |
| 33 | Roanoke Rapids | 62/100 | 9.7 | 7 | 0% | 17% |
| 34 | Jacksonville | 62/100 | 9.6 | 35 | 21% | 21% |
| 35 | Goldsboro | 62/100 | 9.6 | 16 | 6% | 25% |
| 36 | Southern Pines | 60/100 | 9.4 | 8 | 0% | 25% |
| 37 | Laurinburg | 60/100 | 9.3 | 7 | 0% | 14% |
| 38 | Wilmington | 60/100 | 9.3 | 58 | 18% | 36% |
| 39 | Belmont | 57/100 | 8.9 | 7 | 14% | 29% |
| 40 | Newton | 57/100 | 8.9 | 6 | 0% | 20% |
| 41 | Greenville | 57/100 | 8.8 | 40 | 26% | 26% |
| 42 | Shelby | 52/100 | 8.2 | 9 | 11% | 22% |
| 43 | Concord | 51/100 | 8.0 | 45 | 28% | 30% |
| 44 | Durham | 50/100 | 7.9 | 118 | 37% | 49% |
| 45 | Eden | 50/100 | 7.8 | 6 | 0% | 33% |
| 46 | Raleigh | 48/100 | 7.6 | 186 | 20% | 42% |
| 47 | Mooresville | 46/100 | 7.3 | 20 | 35% | 35% |
| 48 | Havelock | 45/100 | 7.2 | 6 | 0% | 40% |
| 49 | Albemarle | 45/100 | 7.1 | 6 | 17% | 33% |
| 50 | Leland | 41/100 | 6.6 | 11 | 0% | 20% |
| 51 | Mount Holly | 40/100 | 6.5 | 6 | 33% | 33% |
| 52 | High Point | 35/100 | 5.8 | 34 | 18% | 29% |
| 53 | Mebane | 34/100 | 5.7 | 6 | 20% | 20% |
| 54 | Matthews | 34/100 | 5.7 | 9 | 11% | 11% |
| 55 | Hope Mills | 33/100 | 5.6 | 5 | 20% | 60% |
| 56 | New Bern | 31/100 | 5.5 | 9 | 0% | 11% |
| 57 | Huntersville | 25/100 | 4.9 | 16 | 38% | 44% |
| 58 | Carrboro | 24/100 | 4.8 | 5 | 25% | 25% |
| 59 | Mint Hill | 15/100 | 3.5 | 5 | 20% | 0% |
| 60 | Chapel Hill | 15/100 | 3.4 | 11 | 44% | 33% |
| 61 | Cornelius | 11/100 | 3.0 | 5 | 20% | 20% |
| 62 | Wake Forest | 10/100 | 2.9 | 8 | 25% | 13% |
| 63 | Kernersville | 10/100 | 2.8 | 4 | 0% | 0% |
| 64 | Clayton | 9/100 | 2.5 | 4 | 25% | 50% |
| 65 | Fuquay Varina | 9/100 | 2.5 | 6 | 17% | 50% |
| 66 | Holly Springs | 9/100 | 2.5 | 6 | 50% | 50% |
| 67 | Morrisville | 6/100 | 1.9 | 3 | 67% | 100% |
| 68 | Cary | 4/100 | 1.3 | 12 | 18% | 36% |
| 69 | Apex | 3/100 | 0.8 | 3 | 0% | 33% |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most dangerous city to drive in in North Carolina?
Lumberton, NC has the highest traffic-fatality rate in North Carolina: 30.4 deaths per 100,000 residents per year (most recent five-year period, NHTSA FARS), a Road Danger Score of 98/100.
What causes traffic deaths in these cities?
Across these 69 cities, an average of 19% of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver and 32% involved speeding (NHTSA FARS, most recent five-year period). These shares run higher than the safest-city list, alongside structural factors like road type and speed limits.
How is the Road Danger Score calculated?
The Road Danger Score is a percentile ranking from 1 to 100 based on each city's five-year traffic-fatality rate (deaths per 100,000 residents per year) from NHTSA FARS data: 100 = most dangerous to drive in, 1 = safest. See the methodology page for the full formula.