Bakersfield ranked as one of the best cities in California to drive in, but worst in safety: report

Jose Franco
·2 min read
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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A report from Forbes Advisor ranks Bakersfield as being one of California’s best cities to drive in, while at the same time, being the least safe.

Forbes Advisor gathered data for various factors including driving experience, safety, cost of car ownership for 50 of the most populated cities in the United States.

The study took into account things like the number of fatal vehicle crashes per 100,000 city residents, average car insurance premium, gas prices, commute time, average amount of time to travel 6 miles and average speed in rush hour traffic.

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Compared to other big cities, Bakersfield ranked second among California cities in “driving experience.” Only Fresno was better. The driving experience score took into account the number of hours lost in traffic congestion per year, the average speed in downtown and average commute time.

Oakland was rated as being the worst city to drive in the United States. Bakersfield, overall, was ranked 37 out of 50 U.S. cities.

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California had three cities ranked as “worst to drive in” in the top 15 — Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Out of eight California cities, Bakersfield ranked the worst in safety, however. Forbes Advisor’s survey score took into account the total number of fatal traffic accidents and car thefts per 100,000 residents.

The problem has gotten the attention of law enforcement in Sacramento with Gov. Gavin Newsom announcing a partnership between the California Highway Patrol and Bakersfield Police Department to crack down on vehicle crimes.

The study took available data across 15 metrics and four categories, with a 0 to 100 scoring scale. A 100 represented the worst performance in a given category.

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The top 5 worst cities to drive in the U.S. were: Oakland, Miami, San Francisco, Houston and Philadelphia.

Bakersfield has seen multiple completed and ongoing traffic projects over the years — including the completion of the Centennial Corridor and 24th Street widening.

You can view Forbes Advisor’s study at this link.

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