Florida Ranks #6 in Worst Drivers Nationally

Drivers in the sunshine state are the most careless in the country, according to survey results compiled by CarInsuranceComparison.com from multiple sources, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Motorists Association, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Florida ranked as one of the Top 10 states in the country for bad driving, with an overall rank of #6, a slight improvement from its #4 ranking in prior years.

Each state was evaluated on the basis of five data points, with high scores reflecting poor performance in the lineup of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Individual category rankings for Florida are as follows:

• Careless Driving = 51
• Tickets = 48
• Failure to Obey (Traffic Signals + Seat Belts) = 38
• Fatalities Rate per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled = 33
• Drunk Driving = 18

States that ranked the worst for bad drivers, according to the survey, are Louisiana (#1), South Carolina (#2), Mississippi (#3), Texas (#4), and Alabama (#5).

Careless driving can be caused by distractions like cell phones and texting. Florida’s low ranking in tickets written, at 48 out of 51, indicates that drivers may feel less at risk of punishment for their poor driving behavior.

The worse the drivers rank in a given state, the higher the auto insurance premiums. Florida ranks among the top 10 most expensive states for car insurance, at #10, according to a 2012 article in the Palm Beach Post. The average Florida driver pays $1,784 in auto insurance premiums a year, or 3.36 percent of household income, based on national statistics.