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Four California Cities Among Top Five in U.S. for Worst Drivers
QuoteWizard’s annual report evaluates cities for best and worst drivers.
July 15, 2022
Bakersfield, Calif. takes the top spot for worst drivers in the nation. But three other sister cities in The Golden State also make the top five list.
Photo: unsplash.com/Xan Griffin
2 min to read
Four California cities rank among the top five cities with the worst drivers in the country, according to a new report from QuoteWizard.
A team of analysts at QuoteWizard evaluated over 6 million car insurance quotes in America’s 70 largest cities to find data on each city's number of accidents, DUIs, speeding tickets, and citations. This dangerous driving data was then used to rank each city’s driving ability.
The Golden State is known for its crowded and frustrating freeways, so maybe it should come as no surprise that it is also known for bad driving habits. Bakersfield, California, takes first place for worst drivers in the nation. The city ranks eighth in accidents and citations, fourth in speeding, and has the highest DUI rate.
Sacramento came in a close second on the QuoteWizard list. The city ranked in the top 10 for accidents, DUIs, and citations, and it ranked just outside the top 10 in speeding.
In third place for worst drivers, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has the highest accident rate in the nation, the third-highest citation rate, and a high number of DUIs and speeding violations, as well. Noteworthy, Baton Rouge really took a nosedive this year — it was ranked eighth for cities with the best drivers on the 2021 QuoteWizard list!
The City of Angels spent the last year driving like the devil. Los Angeles drivers were among the best drivers in 2021, but now the city is home to the fourth-worst drivers in the nation. L.A. had the third-highest rate of accidents, second-highest rate of citations, and the fourth-highest rate of DUIs.
Another California city — San Francisco — takes fifth place for worst drivers. Traditionally, San Francisco has ranked high in speeding and citations. However, this year the City by the Bay also saw a spike in accidents and DUIs —ranking 12th and seventh, respectively.
On the upside, some cities appear to play host to drivers that are more cautious and less likely to get into collisions.
Louisville, Kentucky, leads the way as the city with the best drivers — claiming the lowest number of citations in the nation and a low accident rate as well. Hartford, Connecticut, ranks in second place for cities with best drivers, proving a good track record for avoiding accidents and citations. Others that made the top five list for best drivers include Little Rock, Arkansas, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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