A new study shows Charleston may be home to some of America’s most dangerous drivers.

Everyone claims to know where the worst drivers hail from—Northerners point the finger at Bostonians. Southerners complain about Ohioans. Well, it turns out the joke might be on us, according to new research.

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

On the list of the country’s top 20 cities with the most dangerous drivers, Charleston managed to land at No. 5.

By reviewing the 2.9 million driver applications in the company’s database, analysts catalogued cities with the highest proportion of drivers having a record of: an at-fault accident, DUI or 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: 32.50%
  • Drivers with a speeding ticket: 15.53% 
  • Drivers with an at-fault accident: 16.71%
  • Drivers with a DUI violation: 1.03%

National average driving statistics:

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

Charleston drivers may be below the national average for DUIs, but the rest of our numbers are higher. But, we’re not the only South Carolina city sharing the shame spotlight — Columbia was No. 15 on the list.

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 may not be one of our greatest accolades to date, but good to know who we’re sharing the road with.

Stay safe out there, ya’ll. And, please watch the road.

Help keep the City Paper free.

No paywalls.
No newspaper subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations from downtown to North Charleston to Johns Island to Summerville to Mount Pleasant.

Help support independent journalism by donating today.