Fresno has some of the worst drivers in the U.S., ranking reveals. Here’s why
You know that driver who blows past you on the freeway when you’re already moving at the speed limit? Or the one who’s having trouble staying in one lane after one or two too many drinks after work?
How about that person in the next lane who’s paying more attention to texting on their phone than to the road ahead? Perhaps you’ve gotten a ticket for a right-hand turn at a signal or stop sign without coming to a full stop.
Those are some of the factors that landed Fresno on the latest list of cities with the worst drivers in the U.S. Analysts at QuoteWizard, a site that helps people compare auto insurance quotes, released the company’s annual report of cities with the highest and lowest driver quality, based on rates of accidents, DUIs, speeding tickets and citations for other moving violations.
Fresno ranked sixth on the report’s list of 35 worst-driving cities, but it had plenty of company within California. Riverside was second on the list, followed by Bakersfield at No. 3. Sacramento came right behind Fresno at No. 7.
California cities rounding out the top – or bottom – 35 were San Diego at 14th and the San Francisco Bay Area at No. 33.
The report evaluated millions of insurance quotes from drivers in the 70 largest cities or metro areas in the U.S. The only California city to crack the list of cities with the best drivers was Los Angeles at No. 35.
Cities with the highest rates of dangerous driving incidents were rated among the worst, while cities with lower rates were rated among the best.
The biggest strike against Fresno in the report was the rate of people stopped for driving under the influence – the fifth-highest rate among the cities in the study.
Fresno also ranked 14th for moving-violation citations and 20th for accidents and speeding.
Omaha, Nebraska, received the unfortunate distinction of ranking No. 1 on the list.
This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
