If you’re ready to head out of town with your family for an end-of-summer road trip, you aren’t alone. With the Delta variant concerning a lot of travelers, road trips are especially popular right now. Add that to the fact that you have to wear masks on flights, and many people drive for their vacations.

Of course, there are risks of being on the roadways that you have to be aware of.

For example, consider the fact that a fully-loaded 18-wheeler can weigh 80,000 pounds and be 72-feet long.

Getting into an accident on a highway or freeway can be deadly.

While you can’t entirely avoid risks when you’re behind the wheel, you might want to avoid these U.S. cities, which are notoriously bad for drivers.

Washington D.C.

If you’re thinking about taking your family to Washington D.C. anytime soon, you might want to rely primarily on public transportation. Washington D.C. comes in at 197th place as far as the best places for safe driving in the country.

The reason?

Drivers in D.C. have collisions more often. It’s an interesting place for drivers because it’s an urban area and a busy one at that, but unlike somewhere like New York City, most residents have cars, creating a lot of the risk.

Houston, Texas

Houston is notorious for its horrible traffic, especially when construction is going on, which is almost always, or during rush hour.

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the U.S. with more than two million residents, meaning congestion on the roadways is unavoidable. There’s also limited public transportation, in contrast with other sizable cities.

If you drive in Houston, it’s a good idea to use traffic apps, keep updated on what’s going on with local construction, and give yourself plenty of time. You should avoid driving during rush hour in the morning and afternoon if at all possible.

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is an incredibly walkable city, so if that’s your final destination, you might opt to park and walk for most of your visit. Along with being walkable, Boston also has a pretty reliable and simple public transportation system.

If you are going to drive in Boston, it’s different from New York City because there’s not a grid to follow. Since most people do opt to walk, you also have to watch out for pedestrians.

During the summer, traffic tends to be especially bad, and the same holds true for holiday weekends.

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is another Texas city that is known for being horrible for drivers.

Dallas was recently named as one of the ten most dangerous cities for drivers. The Dallas traffic fatality rate is more than 14 deaths per 100,000 residents every year. That means if you’re comparing Dallas to the national average, you’re more than 46%  more likely to get in an accident if you’re driving in the Dallas metro.

Dallas is taking steps to fix the problem with their Vision Zero plan, which would ideally end traffic deaths in the city by 2030. Some of the things the city hopes to put in place as part of the Vision Zero initiative include narrower streets, expanded sidewalks, and reduced speed limits.

New York, New York

Of course, it’s tough to talk about America’s most challenging cities for drivers without mentioning New York City. New York is a city that’s not driver-friendly. Luckily, it’s walkable and has the nation’s most extensive public transportation options, but still, if you find yourself in a situation where you’re going to be driving in the city, be mindful of the risks and hazards.

Many pedestrians aren’t even going to give a second glance at the vehicles coming their way. They’re pretty much fearless, creating a lot of stress for you as a driver.

There are also many avenues where you can’t make left turns during certain hours as a way of limiting congestion.

You can’t block intersections, and if you’re driving near New York City, especially crossing from New Jersey to New York, you may have to pay expensive tolls.

Atlanta, Georgia

Finally, while Atlanta may be known overall for southern hospitality, that doesn’t hold true on the roadways.

Atlanta was named as one of the cities with the most aggressive drivers in a recent GasBuddy survey. It found drivers in Atlanta are more than 20% more aggressive than the average U.S. driver.

Aggressive driving habits to watch out for include speeding, braking, and rapid acceleration.