New study finds California drivers third worst in the country

August 24 2018

A new study has found that California drivers are the third worst in the United States. The study, conducted by SmartAsset, was released earlier this month. The data compiled put California in a tie with Missouri for third place and just behind Mississippi and Tennessee for the worst drivers in America.

There were four important factors taken into consideration by SmartAsset as the study was compiled:

Average number of fatalities per miles driven
Percentage of drivers who have insurance
Number of times residents of each state search the internet using terms like “speeding ticket” and “traffic ticket”
The number of DUI convictions each driver has on their record

According to the report from the study, California drivers have more to worry about than just congestion. The state ranks 12th in the country for the number of drivers per 1,000 with DUIs on their records and 11th in the nation for the percentage of uninsured drivers.

Despite these alarming statistics, there was some good news that came out of the study. California ranks 32nd in the country for fatalities per 100 million miles driven. The study also found that fatality rates for the entire country have been falling since 1994. The data collected was from no later than 2016.

Drivers all over the state are issued thousands of traffic tickets for various moving violations each year. These tickets are taken into consideration when determining these worst driver lists for the country. Motorists should understand that it is possible to challenge a traffic ticket in court and emerge the winner. Learn more about your rights under the law if you decide to fight the ticket.