FOCUS: Charleston has some really bad drivers, study says

By Samantha Connors  |  Charleston may be home to some of America’s most dangerous drivers, according to the  insurance shopping service Insurify  How bad?  Fifth worst in the country.

With more people traveling by car this past holiday due to the pandemic, Insurify sought to identify areas with the country’s worst drivers and encourage greater caution.

By reviewing the 2.9 million driver applications in the company’s database, analysts catalogued cities with the highest proportion of drivers with a record of an at-fault accident, driving under the influence or a speeding ticket — or a combination of the three.

Here’s how the Holy City stacked up against the national average, according to Insurify:

Charleston driving statistics:

• Drivers with at least one of three incidents: 32.5 percent
• Drivers with a speeding ticket: 15.53 percent 
• Drivers with an at-fault accident: 16.71percent
• Drivers with a DUI violation: 1.03 percent

National average driving statistics:

• Drivers with at least one of three incidents: 23.22percent
• Drivers with a speeding ticket: 9.47 percent
• Drivers with an at-fault accident: 11.24 percent
• Drivers with a DUI violation: 1.69 percent.

Charleston drivers may be below the national average for DUIs, but the rest of local numbers are higher. But Charleston isn’t the only South Carolina city sharing the shame spotlight — Columbia was No. 15 on the list.  Most dangerous city? South Jordan, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City.

Some of the cities considered to have the safest drivers included Laredo, Texas; Brownsville, Texas; and Taylor, Michigan. As a region, the Northeast had the lowest record of incidents while the Midwest had the highest.

This story first appeared in the Charleston City Paper.  Have a comment?  Send to:  editor@charlestoncurrents.com