Los Angeles Among Cities With Worst Drivers According to New Study

Jul 17, 2023

Data from the U.S. Department of Transportation in combination with information from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) confirms that Los Angles is one of the most dangerous cities for drivers.

2 California Cities Ranked as Least Safe for Drivers According to New Study

• Which American Cities are the Least Safe for Drivers?
• QuoteWizard Study Ranks Los Angeles as Cities With Top 10 Worst Drivers
• Glendale, California, Ranked Among Cities With Best Drivers in America for 2023
• Increased Number of American Car Accidents Deemed a ‘Crisis’

A study from ConsumerAffairs reviewed the above mentioned government data and then ranked major cities based on motor vehicle crash statistics. The study looked at motor vehicle crash fatalities per 100,000 people due to three factors:

• Bad driving (defined as any of the following: driving the wrong way in one-way traffic; failing to yield; aggressive and careless driving; making an improper turn; following improperly; inexperience operating; passing where prohibited; and improper or erratic lane changing)
• Positive blood alcohol content (DUI)
• Speeding

Cities included in the ConsumerAffairs study needed to have a population of 100,000 or more in order to be included.

Which American Cities are the Least Safe for Drivers?

The ConsumerAffairs study ranked Memphis, Tennessee, as having the worst drivers in the United States based on the factors cited above (with a crash score of 86.6). Two California cities – Victorville and Hesperia – ranked at number eight and number nine, respectively, in terms of the Cities With the Top 10 Worst Drivers.

The following cities rounded out the Top 5 With the Worst Drivers in the U.S.:

• Baton Rouge, Louisiana (crash score: 73.8)
• Albuquerque, New Mexico (crash score: 50.8)
• Macon, Georgia (crash score: 49.1)
• St. Louis, Missouri (crash score: 47.4)

A concerning statistic related California’s Hesperia involved an exceedingly high motor vehicle fatality rate. According to ConsumerAffairs, Hesperia has the highest rate of speeding fatalities in the nation, coming in at 2.9 times the national average.

QuoteWizard Study Ranks Los Angeles as Cities With Top 10 Worst Drivers

A separate study from QuoteWizard ranked five California cities among the Top 10 With the Worst Drivers in America.

Los Angeles ranked number 10, while Bakersfield came in at number seven, Sacramento at number six, Fresno at number five, and Riverside at number three:

To recap, the California Cities Among Top 10 in America With the Worst Drivers included:

• Riverside (#3)
• Fresno (#5)
• Sacramento (#6)
• Bakersfield (#7)
• Los Angeles (#10)

According to QuoteWizard, the following issues contributed to specific California cities being included on the list:

– Riverside: “Riverside, Calif., is full of reckless drivers. According to our findings, drivers have a tendency to get into accidents, ranking fifth in the U.S. in this category. California has many bad drivers: five cities in the Golden State rank among the top 10 worst-driving cities. Overall, California is the second-worst driving state in the nation.”

– Fresno: “Fresno, Calif., is another city that consistently tops the list of worst drivers. Unfortunately for drivers there, it’s only getting worse. Last year the city ranked seventh-worst, and this year it moved up to fifth-worst. However, one positive note is that fewer drivers are drinking and driving. In 2022, Fresno ranked third-worst for DUIs. This year it dropped to seventh. Maybe next year will bring more improvements.”

The study also noted that California is having a “particularly bad year” in terms of car accident numbers. QuoteWizard confirmed that “four of the top five cities with the worst accident rates are in California.”

San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Riverside were among the Top 5 Worst Cities in terms of motor vehicle accident rates.

In terms of the most DUI accidents, four California cities again made the Top 5:

1. San Diego
2. Bakersfield
3. Greensboro, North Carolina
4. Riverside
5. Los Angeles

In terms of how the rankings were determined, QuoteWizard utilized the following methodology:

• Evaluated driver quality from the 70 largest cities in the U.S.
• Analyzed 2023 data from millions of insurance quotes from drivers in the 70 cities using QuoteWizard.com
• Used a composite ranking system to rank each city for its rate of incidents (including accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs, and citations

“Cities considered to have the worst drivers have the highest rates of incidents among drivers,” QuoteWizard said.

Glendale, California, Ranked Among Cities With Best Drivers in America for 2023

One positive element of the ConsumerAffairs report involved Dordulian Law Group’s main office location – Glendale, California – having some of the best drivers in the U.S., according to government data.

Glendale reportedly ranked number seven among the Top 10 Cities With the Best Drivers in the United States. The full list included:

1. Green Bay, Wisconsin
2. Cary, North Carolina
3. Oxnard, California
4. Bellevue, Washington
5. McKinney, Texas
6. Lynn, Massachusetts
7. Glendale, California
8. Pearland, Texas
9. College Station, Texas
10. Henderson, Nevada

Glendale was also ranked as one of the Top 5 Safest Cities in the United States for 2022

Increased Number of American Car Accidents Deemed a ‘Crisis’

In 2021, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that fatalities in motor vehicle crashes had reached a 16-year high.

“This crisis on our roads is urgent and preventable,” Dr. Steven Cliff, then-deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said when early estimates of 2021 data was released.

ConsumerAffairs offers the following tips for staying safe among bad drivers:

• Stay calm: “Reacting impulsively or engaging in aggressive behavior can escalate the situation and increase the risk of accidents.”
• Maintain a safe following distance: “This gives you enough time to react to sudden maneuvers or erratic driving from other vehicles.”
• Avoid aggressive driving: “Resist the temptation to retaliate or engage in aggressive driving behaviors yourself. Instead, focus on defensive driving techniques.”
• Always use your turn signal: “Clear lane changes help prevent confusion and reduce the chances of collisions.”
• Report dangerous behavior: “If you see extremely reckless driving, consider reporting it to the appropriate local authorities. You’ll want to get the license plate number, location and description of the vehicle.”
• Avoid distractions: “Don’t use your phone. Don’t brush your teeth. Don’t paint your nails. As much as possible, plan your route ahead of time so you don’t have to mess around with your GPS. Stay attentive and alert.”

Ready to file a claim and pursue justice through a financial damages award? Our expert attorneys are available online or by phone now.

If you’ve been injured in a car accident through no fault of your own, contact Dordulian Law Group today at 866-GO-SEE-SAM for a free consultation.

spanish version: Los Ángeles entre las ciudades con los peores conductores según un nuevo estudio