An annual study by online insurance marketplace website QuoteWizard announced that, due to an increase of tickets written for driving under the influence (DUI) and distracted driving as a result of staring into a smartphone while operating a motor vehicle, the Golden State is now the nation's number one place for bad drivers, a step up from its 2016 second place finish.
"The dubious honor of having the worst drivers in the country goes to California," study results reported.
"California's less-than-stellar drivers are somewhat notorious — especially in gridlocked Los Angeles," a QuoteWizard statement added.
According to the data, five of the top 10 cities in the US with the worst drivers are in California, including Sacramento — which was ranked the worst in the nation — as well as Riverside, San Diego, Los Angeles and Bakersfield.
Following California in its bad driver spin-out are Minnesota, Utah, South Carolina and Washington.
The best drivers, according to the study, are in Rhode Island.
The analysis combined millions of data points on drivers across the US, revealing a "pretty interesting and sometimes surprising snapshot of the best and worst drivers in America," as detailed by the website that conducted the study.
The online auto insurance website sampled information gleaned from accidents, fatalities, citations, DUIs and speeding tickets, aggregating over 2 million data points, according to the study.
