Quick answer
According to crimebycity.com's analysis of NHTSA data, the most dangerous city to drive in in Pennsylvania is Chester City, PA with 17.1 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents per year (Road Danger Score 90/100), vs a US average of 12.3.
Highest Traffic-Fatality Rates in Pennsylvania
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 | Chester City | 90/100 | 17.1 | 29 | 32% | 48% |
| 2 | Harrisburg | 85/100 | 14.8 | 37 | 24% | 44% |
| 3 | Wyomissing Borough | 78/100 | 12.6 | 7 | 43% | 29% |
| 4 | Kingston | 64/100 | 9.8 | 7 | 33% | 17% |
| 5 | Mckeesport | 63/100 | 9.7 | 9 | 0% | 22% |
| 6 | Williamsport | 62/100 | 9.5 | 13 | 46% | 46% |
| 7 | Monroeville | 60/100 | 9.4 | 13 | 23% | 23% |
| 8 | Philadelphia | 59/100 | 9.2 | 712 | 14% | 37% |
| 9 | Pottsville | 58/100 | 9.0 | 6 | 0% | 0% |
| 10 | New Kensington | 54/100 | 8.5 | 5 | 40% | 0% |
| 11 | Jefferson Hills Borough | 53/100 | 8.3 | 5 | 20% | 20% |
| 12 | Erie | 51/100 | 8.0 | 37 | 31% | 42% |
| 13 | West Mifflin Borough | 47/100 | 7.5 | 7 | 43% | 14% |
| 14 | Hanover Borough | 45/100 | 7.2 | 6 | 0% | 17% |
| 15 | Pittsburgh | 44/100 | 7.0 | 111 | 16% | 39% |
| 16 | Allentown | 43/100 | 6.9 | 43 | 13% | 49% |
| 17 | Lebanon | 43/100 | 6.9 | 9 | 0% | 33% |
| 18 | Murrysville | 42/100 | 6.8 | 7 | 43% | 14% |
| 19 | Bethlehem | 41/100 | 6.6 | 26 | 24% | 40% |
| 20 | Johnstown | 36/100 | 6.0 | 6 | 17% | 17% |
| 21 | Wilkes Barre City | 35/100 | 5.9 | 13 | 15% | 31% |
| 22 | Scranton | 32/100 | 5.5 | 21 | 10% | 38% |
| 23 | Upper Merion Township | 31/100 | 5.5 | 10 | 30% | 40% |
| 24 | Warminster Township | 31/100 | 5.4 | 9 | 43% | 29% |
| 25 | Chambersburg Borough | 30/100 | 5.4 | 6 | 17% | 50% |
| 26 | Pottstown Borough | 27/100 | 5.1 | 6 | 0% | 17% |
| 27 | Norristown Borough | 26/100 | 5.0 | 9 | 33% | 44% |
| 28 | Altoona | 20/100 | 4.2 | 9 | 50% | 50% |
| 29 | Bensalem Township | 20/100 | 4.1 | 13 | 15% | 15% |
| 30 | Reading | 19/100 | 4.1 | 20 | 20% | 20% |
| 31 | York | 19/100 | 4.0 | 9 | 0% | 44% |
| 32 | Easton | 19/100 | 4.0 | 6 | 0% | 50% |
| 33 | Lancaster | 13/100 | 3.2 | 9 | 11% | 33% |
| 34 | Ross Township | 13/100 | 3.1 | 5 | 20% | 40% |
| 35 | Plum Borough | 12/100 | 3.1 | 4 | 0% | 25% |
| 36 | Hazleton | 10/100 | 2.7 | 4 | 25% | 25% |
| 37 | Cheltenham Township | 9/100 | 2.6 | 5 | 20% | 40% |
| 38 | Mccandless Township | 7/100 | 2.1 | 3 | 0% | 0% |
| 39 | Penn Hills Township | 7/100 | 2.0 | 4 | 25% | 25% |
| 40 | Ephrata | 6/100 | 1.8 | 3 | 0% | 0% |
| 41 | Middletown Township | 6/100 | 1.8 | 4 | 25% | 50% |
| 42 | Upper Darby Township | 5/100 | 1.7 | 7 | 14% | 0% |
| 43 | Derry Township | 5/100 | 1.6 | 2 | 0% | 0% |
| 44 | Lower Providence Township | 5/100 | 1.5 | 2 | 50% | 50% |
| 45 | Bristol Township | 5/100 | 1.5 | 4 | 0% | 25% |
| 46 | Moon Township | 3/100 | 0.8 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| 47 | Shaler Township | 2/100 | 0.7 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 48 | Horsham Township | 2/100 | 0.7 | 1 | 100% | 100% |
| 49 | Westtown-East Goshen Regional | 2/100 | 0.7 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| 50 | Manheim Township | 2/100 | 0.6 | 2 | 0% | 50% |
| 51 | Bethel Park Borough | 2/100 | 0.6 | 1 | 0% | 100% |
| 52 | Mount Lebanon | 2/100 | 0.6 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 53 | Cranberry Township | 2/100 | 0.6 | 1 | 0% | 100% |
| 54 | Haverford Township | 1/100 | 0.4 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most dangerous city to drive in in Pennsylvania?
Chester City, PA has the highest traffic-fatality rate in Pennsylvania: 17.1 deaths per 100,000 residents per year (most recent five-year period, NHTSA FARS), a Road Danger Score of 90/100.
What causes traffic deaths in these cities?
Across these 54 cities, an average of 22% of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver and 30% 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.