Florida drivers fourth worst in nation
Nov 5, 2011
The following article was published in the Bradenton Herald on November 5, 2011:
Florida drivers fourth worst in nation
By Daniel Chang
There’s not much enthusiasm in being fourth best. But when it comes to the nation’s worst drivers, maybe it’s better not to finish first.
Florida drivers were ranked fourth worst in the nation, according to a report issued Friday by CarInsuranceComparison.com, a Seattle-based online clearinghouse for car insurance rates and information. The rankings take into account the number of drunk driving arrests, traffic fatalities, and citations issued for failure to obey signals.
Louisiana owns the dubious distinction of No. 1 in the nation for bad drivers — its motorists having chalked up 49 fatalities per million miles driven. While the Bayou State ranked 41st of the 50 states surveyed in tickets issued and drunk driving arrests, it appears that fatalities carried the most weight in the study’s scoring method.
The report crunched numbers in five key metrics from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the National Motorist’s Association, and Governor’s Highway Safety Administration: fatalities per million miles driven, number of moving violation tickets issued, drunken driving citations and convictions, number of tickets issued for failure to obey traffic signals, and ranking on careless driving.
Taking all five factors into account, Florida scored 183 points, which tied with Texas for third. Still, CarInsuranceComparison.com ranks Florida drivers fourth worst. Company representatives were not immediately available for comment.
One noticeable trend in CarInsuranceComparison.com’s study: The further south one drives, the worse it gets. The Northeast appeared to have the safest drivers, according to the study, with Rhode Island motorists deemed the safest in the nation, followed by Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, the Sunshine State did finish tops (or worst) in a couple of areas: Florida drivers received the most traffic citations of any state, and were nearly the worst in terms of careless drivers (49 of 50).
To see the full report, go to CarInsuranceComparison.com/which-states-have-the-worst-drivers.