Best and Worst Drivers in California
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident lawyer. A recent survey is bad news for drivers in Sacramento. The study, done by quotewizard.com, labels the city poorly when it comes to safe driving. While number two a year ago, Sacramento has edged its way to the top of the list of poorest drivers.
Survey Parameters
Using two million data elements accumulated in the past twelve months, Quote Wizard, an insurance comparison site, listed the best and worst cities in the country. To compare 75 cities from around the country, the company used incident occurrences, weighing them by percentage. The following parameters were used:
- Speeding tickets
- Accidents
- Traffic citations
- Driving under the influence
Survey Results
Using the data, the cities were ranked and listed from the worst (lowest rank) to the best (highest rank). The best drivers were in Detroit, Michigan. According to the survey, Detroit has fewer accidents than the other cities and the next to lowest rate of speeders. However, of all the cities tested, it also has the highest car insurance costs.
At the other end of the spectrum was Sacramento with an overwhelmingly high incidence of traffic violations such as speeding. The city also comes in high for DUI and motor vehicle crashes.
California Stats
Overall, California did not rank much better than Sacramento, it was the state with the most highway miles to traverse. However, crowded interstates can leads to accidents and road rage. The numbers for California are not encouraging, placing it at the top of the list for worst drivers right ahead of Minnesota.
California Numbers
According to Quote Wizard, California was in first place among all states for DUI. In addition, it ranked poorly for traffic citations, traffic accidents and speeding. Remember, a lower rank is not good in this survey.
Reasons for Poor Ranking
While speeding, traffic crashes and driving drunk are not something to be proud of, there may be reasons the state scored so low. The daily commute is something many Californians dread, and this alone can be an essential ingredient of road rage and traffic accident risk.
The distance Californians commute has seen a 27 percent increase since 2009. Since getting to work means traveling on congested freeways, when an opening presents itself, many drivers step on the gas a little too hard. The prevalence of jobs has increased, but the distance from home has increased too. The same scenario is seen in Sacramento with more drivers traveling longer distances in the morning and evening commute.
Speeding
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, speeding was involved in 27 percent of traffic fatalities in 2016. Looking at all fatal crashes since 2005, speeding was a factor. The numbers are calculated using traffic citations issued. Speeding can be cited if the driver is going faster than the speed limit or traveling too fast for roadway conditions such as poor weather or racing.
Drunk Driving
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drunk driving kills 28 individuals daily in the United States. In 2015, it killed about 10,265 nationwide. Two hundred and nine children were killed by a drunk driver. In an independent survey, 111 million respondents said they drove drunk in 2015. Only 1.1 million people were arrested.
Sacramento Car Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident lawyer. Any car accident, big or small, can have a harrowing effect on a person’s life and finances. In the event this has happened to you or a member of your family, get in touch with me for friendly and free advice. You can phone me at (916) 921-6400 locally or (800) 404-5400 nationwide. Don’t hesitate to use my online contact form if that is more convenient for you.
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