Policy & Regulations

Washington State Has Some Of The Worst Drivers in America

In a new study, Washington has the 5th-worst drivers in the U.S. California ranked as the worst state for drivers.

By Dan Shafer December 13, 2017

Seattle, USA - March 29, 2013: Seattle viaduct and waterfront at rush hour as commuters leave the city.

Washington state is home to the 5th worst drivers in the nation, according to a new study by Seattle-based QuoteWizard.

California ranks as the worst driving state for 2017, and Rhode Island ranks as the best. The only other states ranking worse than Washington are Minnesota, Utah and South Carolina.

The study said:

Washington: Is it the rain-soaked streets? Is it the legal weed? Is it Seattle’s massive growth? We’re not sure what’s causing it, but the fact is that Washington drivers are less-than-stellar. From passive to inattentive, Seattle drivers have a particularly prickly reputation. Considering the fact that Washington went from 9th to 4th worst since 2016, we’re prepared to blame the influx of transplants on the bad driving. Specifically, Washington’s accident rate jumped from 33rd worse all the way to 14th worse since last year.

Nationwide, car-related deaths are up 14 percent since 2015, the study notes, in part because Americans are driving more than ever before, and distracted driving is becoming more of a problem.

The study also looked at best and worst drivers by city, where Seattle ranked more in the middle of the pack at 37th out of 75 most populous U.S. metros. Sacramento ranked as the worst drivers, one of five California cities in the 10 worst drivers list. The Motor City of Detroit ranked as the metro with the best drivers. Orlando and Miami were also among the best-driving cities, and Florida ranked as the 2nd-best driving state.

The study also looked the driving rankings of red states and blue states, with Republican states ranking better overall (median ranking of 21st) than Democratic states (28th).

For the study, Quote Wizard used a sum of weighted means from the following incidents: accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs, citations and fatalities.

See the full rankings by state and by city.

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