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Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

Is Tucson among the top five U.S. cities for dangerous driving?

Tallulah Anne, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
yes

Tucson ranks fifth in the nation for dangerous driving, according to an August 2025 Consumer Affairs analysis that highlighted the city’s high rate of fatal crashes, particularly those tied to speeding. The analysis put Tucson’s traffic fatality rate at 27.05 deaths per 100,000 residents. The Tucson Police Department had reported 55 fatal collisions as of September 2025. 

Consumer Affairs also deemed Tucson the fifth most dangerous city for cyclists, with 1.47 cyclist deaths per 100,000 residents — four times the national average. 

Experts point to speeding, distracted driving and limited bike infrastructure as key contributors to the city’s rankings. Local officials and community groups have called for stronger traffic enforcement, including new technologies to fight speeding and street racing, and neighborhood programs aimed at slowing drivers in residential areas.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.

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