These 7 California cities have some of the worst drivers in the US, new study says

Hanh Truong
·2 min read
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It’s been said time and time again — California has bad drivers. And now there’s data to prove it.

In an annual study by Lending Tree’s QuoteWizard, seven cities in California were ranked as having the worst drivers in the country..

QuoteWizard, an online insurance service, looked at car insurance quotes in 2023 from drivers in 70 cities in the U.S. It created a ranking based on the number of speeding tickets, accidents, DUIs and citations, such as running a red light or using a phone while driving.

In California, Riverside ranks the highest on the list of cities with the worst drivers at No. 3.

“Riverside, Calif., is full of reckless drivers,” QuoteWizard stated. “According to our findings, drivers have a tendency to get into accidents, ranking fifth in the U.S. in this category.”

Fresno follows at No. 5. According to the service, the drivers in Fresno are getting worse, jumping from seventh-worst last year.

Sacramento made it at No. 6 and Bakersfield at No. 7. Los Angeles ranked at No. 10 and San Francisco at No. 13. San Diego rounds out the top 35 list at No. 19.

You can find the worst drivers in all of the country in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Overall, California is the second worst driving state.

Where are the best drivers?

The best drivers in the country are on the roads in Detroit.

Little Rock, Arkansas, follows at No. 2 and Louisville, Kentucky, at No. 3.

No city in California made it on the top 35 list of cities with the best drivers.

Other rankings

California made its mark on other rankings.

For the city with the highest citations, Bakersfield ranks at the top at No. 2.

Four cities have the highest accident rates — San Diego at No. 2, Los Angeles at No. 3, Sacramento at No. 4 and Riverside at No. 5.

San Diego also topped the list for the highest rates of DUI. Bakersfield, Riverside and Los Angeles follow at No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

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