California Drivers Earn Dubious Distinction

California drivers have earned the dubious distinction of having some of the worst drivers in the nation.

In a recent study, five California cities were ranked as having the worst drivers in the country, with Sacramento coming in first and San Diego following in fifth. Additionally, San Diego and Los Angeles both showed sky-high rates of DUI incidents in 2016, with San Diego ranked second for most DUIs, and Los Angeles ninth. Read More

QuoteWizard, an online company that compares insurance rates, conducted the study, looking at the nation’s 75 largest metropolitan areas and ranking them from worst to best. The company used more than two million data points from 2016 in its analysis according to four categories: accidents, speeding tickets, driving under the influence and other traffic citations. See Article

With millions of bad drivers traversing California roads and highways, it certainly makes sense to check your insurance coverage and make sure you have ample protection. You will also be in much better off financially if you carry sufficient uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage.

The minimum insurance coverage required by California law for injuries to others is referred to as “15-30-5.″ This means $15,000 is the amount of physical injury liability protection required on a “per person” basis; $30,000 is the total in the event of multiple injured parties; and $5,000 is the coverage if any property was damaged in that accident.

But this coverage protects only the other people to whom the policyholder may be liable for causing injuries or property damage. Considering the high cost health care and vehicle repair costs, these amounts are rarely sufficient.

If protection limits are exceeded, the policyholder can be held personally responsible for unpaid damages, so it is better to carry higher limits than the “minimum” requirements.

UM coverage is relatively inexpensive, and its cost far outweighs the potential financial damage that can be sustained. Check with your insurance company what the exact additional cost would be, as it will vary for each person. Read More

With California’s dismal driving record, it is more important than ever to be aware of the dangers – and be well protected.

Read more about the country’s best and worst drivers here.