Chicago: Third Most Deadly U.S. City for Driving Over Memorial Weekend - Here's WHY

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37.1 million Americans are expected to travel by car this Memorial Day, a year over year increase of 6% or 2 million more people on the road. And, according to a new study by the car insurance savings app Jerry, drivers in Chicago should plan to take extra precaution before they do.

The study found that Chicago ranks as the third most deadly U.S. city for driving over the holiday weekend. Other key findings include:

Chicago ranks third “most deadly” U.S. city for Memorial day driving. It’s preceded only by two Texas cities: Houston and Dallas. It is most dangerous to drive in Texas, home to the most Memorial Day traffic fatalities by far (462), followed by California (372) and Florida (359). On a per capita basis, West Virginia, South Dakota and North Dakota saw the most deaths. Other most dangerous cities include Indianapolis, Los Angeles and San Antonio. Here’s the full list.
Stay off the roads overnight and all day Saturday. The deadliest day of MDW overall is Saturday, but Friday night sees the most fatalities per hour. The deadliest hours are between 6 p.m. and 3 a.m., and 2 a.m. Sunday ranks as the worst.
Alcohol and speeding lead to the most deadly crashes. Alcohol was involved in 61% of all fatal crashes when a BAC test was conducted, including 67% of deadly crashes involving 16-35 year old victims. For fatal crashes when a BAC test wasn’t conducted, alcohol was involved 33% of the time. Speeding was involved in nearly one third (31%) of fatal crashes, including more than half (52%) in which the victims were 16-35.
Nearly three quarters (73%) of all victims were male, while males aged 16-35 accounted for nearly a third (32%) of all deaths.
Nearly half (48%) of the fatal crashes nationwide took place in rural areas. More than half (55%) involved a vehicle leaving the roadway. Only 12% took place on an interstate highway.