Jacksonville, Florida Ranks as Worst US City for Drivers as Alcohol-Related Incidents Rise

Construction workers build the Signature Bridge, replacing and improving a busy highway intersection at I-95 and I-395 in Miami, Florida, on March 17, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Known for its museums, art galleries, and the Jaguars football team, the northern Florida city of Jacksonville is also becoming notorious for its bad drivers.

According to a study by Clever Move, Jacksonville has been named for the second consecutive year as having the worst drivers in the country, using metrics such as uninsured drivers, traffic fatalities, and DUIs.

The study noted that Jacksonville is home to I-95, one of America’s most dangerous highways, with the city experiencing 68 percent more annual driving deaths than average, at a rate of 14.5 per 100,000 residents.

Clever Move says that number represents the most driving deaths in Florida and the fourth-most driving deaths among all cities studied.

“They’ve got it bad. Jacksonville ranked high in a lot of our metrics, specifically the highest number of alcohol-related driving deaths,” Clever Move’s Jaime Seale, who authored the study, said.

“Their alcohol death rate actually increased from last year from 2.8 to 3.8 per 100. That’s a statistic that’s completely preventable if people make smarter choices,” Ms. Seale told The Epoch Times.

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In its study, Clever Move also found that New York City has the country’s best drivers, while Florida has the worst drivers in America.

Jacksonville was joined by Tampa, Orlando, and Miami in the top 10 worst cities for drivers.

The Clever Move study specifically called out Tampa for its national high of most fatal collisions between drivers and cyclists, with 1.3 per 100,000 residents. That number was five times higher than the studied city average (0.24) in the survey.

Clever Move claims Tampa has two of the most dangerous U.S. highways running through it. That factor, combined with increased traffic from the city’s growing population, “exacerbates the likelihood of collisions,” the report said. Auto insurance has also climbed in Tampa to an average of $2,328, nearly 19 percent more than the average rate of $1,960, which has led to 20 percent of its drivers going without insurance.

Mark Paxton, a driving instructor for the Driving School of Florida in the Tampa Bay area, says his long-term experience of driving in the state has shown him first-hand that the surveys aren’t wrong.

“I would agree with them about Florida. I’m 47 now and have driven trucks and was in law enforcement here for many years,” he told The Epoch Times. “I have driven all over the country and spent a lot of time in Florida and agree the state has bad drivers, especially around the big cities. But every city has bad drivers.”

A Forbes study published in February showed that Tampa had the 10th worst drivers in the United States, with Jacksonville coming 14th. While some have pointed to senior drivers retiring in Florida as one of the issues contributing to the state’s poor driving reputation, Mr. Paxton says the real issue is tailgating.

“Drivers here are not as polite. There’s a lot of tailgating, and I know you get that everywhere, but it seems like a higher percentage here.” He said that Florida, realizing the tailgating issue was a problem, especially on highways, passed a bill to stop drivers from sitting in the left lane and not letting people pass, which he believes will cut back on highway tailgating.

Florida House Bill 317 stipulates that drivers are not allowed to drive in the far left lane of any road, street, or highway with a speed limit of at least 65 mph unless they are overtaking another vehicle or preparing to exit the road.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has had the bill on his desk since February and has yet to sign it, saying he needs more input.

In the Clever Move study, California had two cities ranked in the top 10 list of worst drivers: Riverside at fourth and Sacramento at ninth.

Tennessee also had two cities in the top 10, including Memphis at third and Nashville at eighth.

“Bad driving exists everywhere, and everyone thinks their town has the worst drivers. We wanted to show people what cities are the most dangerous and give out a sense of camaraderie that you’re not alone and there are bad drivers everywhere,” Ms. Seale said. “If a city finds itself on a list and doesn’t like it and then cleans up its act as a result, that’s the cherry on top.”

Top 10 Cities With the Worst Drivers

1.	Jacksonville, Fla.
2.	Tampa, Fla.
3.	Memphis, Tenn.
4.	Riverside, Calif.
5.	Orlando, Fla.
6.	Louisville, Ky.
7.	Miami, Fla.
8.	Nashville, Tenn.
9.	Sacramento, Calif.
10.	Oklahoma City, Okla.