COLUMBUS – We all think drivers in Columbus are the worst in the country and a new study indicates we weren’t far off.
Columbus ranks No. 7 on a list of the U.S. cities with the worst drivers, according to the insurance website QuoteWizard.com, which evaluated the nation’s 75 largest cities on the basis of accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs and citations for offenses like running a red light or using a cellphone while driving, during 2016.
Motorists in Sacramento, Calif., were the worst, racking up the highest rate of traffic citations in the country. The city was also close to the top for accidents and DUI’s.
Five of the 10 cities with the nation’s worst drivers were in California.
The best drivers were in Detroit, boasting the lowest accident rate and second lowest amount of speeding citations.
Ohio did not fare well in a survey of laws that protect teen drivers either by the auto club AAA.
The survey found that, in 2016 an average of 23 injuries or fatalities occurred every day involving a teen driver in Ohio.
The auto club is backing a bill in the Statehouse that would lengthen the temporary instruction permit phase for new drivers from six to 12 months and begin nighttime driving protections for newly licensed drivers at 9:00 p.m., rather than midnight, AAA Ohio spokeswoman Kim Schwind said.