When President Eisenhower funded our interstate highway system in 1956, Missouri became the first state to break ground. As a I result, one of the nation's oldest interstates, I-70, runs right through St. Louis. Now here's what's important about driving this stretch of I-70: There will be locals in the other lanes, which means you'd better pay attention or you'll be the next historical footnote.

We tabulated the rate of fatal crashes; the percentage of fatalities involving alcohol, speeding, or hit and run; and the rate of seatbelt use (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Then we factored in the average number of years between accidents (Allstate) and laws on cellphone use while driving (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and city governments). The result? Don't meet me in St. Louis.

Most dangerous drivers

100. St. Louis, MO F

99. Dallas, TX F

98. Charleston, WV F

97. Houston, TX F

96. Billings, MT F

95. Providence, RI F

94. Columbia, SC F

93. Durham, NC F

92. Orlando, FL F

91. Austin, TX F

90. Tampa, FL F

89. Fort Worth, TX F

88. Lubbock, TX F

87. Wichita, KS F

86. Jacksonville, FL F

85. Jackson, MS F

84. San Antonio, TX F

83. Greensboro, NC F

82. Baltimore, MD D-

81. Norfolk, VA D-

80. Oklahoma City, OK D-

79. Manchester, NH D-

78. Nashville, TN D-

77. St. Petersburg, FL D

76. Wilmington, DE D

75. Louisville, KY D

74. Cheyenne, WY D

73. Pittsburgh, PA D

72. Little Rock, AR D

71. Anchorage, AK D

70. Albuquerque, NM D

69. Kansas City, MO D

68. Philadelphia, PA D

67. Virginia Beach, VA D

66. Tucson, AZ D

65. Las Vegas, NV D

64. Baton Rouge, LA D

63. Miami, FL D+

62. Sacramento, CA D+

61. Washington, DC D+

60. Tulsa, OK D+

59. Bridgeport, CT D+

58. El Paso, TX D+

57. Chicago, IL D+

56. Stockton, CA D+

55. Milwaukee, WI D+

54. Portland, ME D+

53. Corpus Christi, TX D+

52. Bakersfield, CA D+

51. Toledo, OH D+

50. Sioux Falls, SD D+

49. Burlington, VT C-

48. New Orleans, LA C-

47. Oakland, CA C-

46. Cincinnati, OH C-

45. Indianapolis, IN C-

44. Riverside, CA C-

43. Phoenix, AZ C-

42. Cleveland, OH C-

41. Laredo, TX C-

40. Los Angeles, CA C-

39. Raleigh, NC C-

38. Birmingham, AL C

37. Colorado Springs, CO C

36. Winston-Salem, NC C

35. Memphis, TN C

34. Plano, TX C

33. Denver, CO C

32. Fresno, CA C

31. Charlotte, NC C

30. Newark, NJ C

29. San Diego, CA C

28. Fargo, ND C

27. Lexington, KY C

26. Detroit, MI C+

25. Honolulu, HI C+

24. Atlanta, GA C+

23. Omaha, NE C+

22. Columbus, OH C+

21. San Francisco, CA C+

20. Minneapolis, MN B-

19. Anaheim, CA B-

18. Portland, OR B-

17 San Jose, CA B-

16. Salt Lake City, UT B

15. Des Moines, IA B-

14. Seattle, WA B-

13. Jersey City, NJ B

12. Rochester, NY B

11. Boise, ID B

Least dangerous drivers

10. Aurora, CO B

9. Madison, WI B+

8. Chesapeake, VA B+

7. New York City, NY B+

6. Fort Wayne, IN B+

5. Reno, NV B+

4. Buffalo, NY B+

3. Boston, MA A-

2 Lincoln, NE A-

1. St. Paul, MN A+

THE LOCKOUT WE'RE ROOTING FOR

It's a no-duh that drunk drivers are menaces, but how do we stop them? With aggressive use of the ignition interlock, a breath analyzer that disables the engine if the driver is over the legal limit. These devices not only help reduce DUI rates in the short term but can also train people to exercise better judgment in the future, says Eileen Ahlin, Ph.D., a criminologist with the research firm Westat. Ask your rep to support the Drunk Driving Repeat Offender Prevention Act of 2011.

FOG ALERT

It's the pea soup problem: We're too cocky in foggy driving conditions. When Clemson researchers used computer simulation to test the way people drove in fog, they found that most went too fast and would have hit an obstacle. Stay alive by driving through fog as slowly and cautiously as you would on an unfamiliar winding road, says study author Johnell Brooks, Ph.D.

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