Sacramento drivers are the worst?

Do you ever drive around Sacramento and wonder if we have the absolute worst drivers in the country?  I know I do.  So, I did a little research, and guess what?  We don’t!  We just have the 5^th worst drivers in the country!  I feel so much safer now… Not!  I assume that if you are reading this, you are not one of the crazy dangerous drivers I’m talking about. You know, the ones who cut you off, camp out in the left lane or cluelessly sit at the green light ahead of you staring at the latest Instagram post on their cell phone. It can be quite scary out there. For example, I have definitely seen more red-light runners than ever just between my home and my Sacramento chiropractic clinic.  

I found a company online called quote wizard that sets out every year to see which cities have the worst drivers in America. They analyze data from millions of insurance quotes from drivers in the top 75 cities in the country. Then they evaluate cities on four factors to determine overall driver quality and take a composite ranking of overall incidents. Incidents include: Accidents, speeding tickets, DUI’s and Citations such as running a red light or using a cell-phone while driving, etc.

Cities rated among the worst were those with the highest rate of incidents, and the best driving cities had the lowest rate of incidents.  Drum roll…

The top ten worst were:

1          Portland, OR

2          Boise, ID

3          Virginia Beach, VA

4          Columbus, OH

5       Sacramento, CA

6          Salt Lake City, UT

7          Cleveland, OH

8          Denver, CO

9          San Francisco, CA

10        Richmond, VA

There are many significant consequences to our #5 ranking. It’s bad enough to have to drive like a ninja everywhere, and deal with the stress of dodging and dealing with terrible drivers. It’s also a bummer that our car insurance rates are higher due to the dangerous other drivers out there. We all pay for that.  What is most concerning is that where you find bad drivers, you have more injury accidents.  Taking care of people injured in motor vehicle accidents is now about one-third of my Sacramento chiropractic practice.  

Now, as they say, there is the insult to injury part: What I have learned is that there are so many uninsured Motorists on California Roadways. That is maybe why there are now also so many hit-and-run accidents.  Distracted and terrible drivers may not be good at dodging cars on the road, but they are increasingly good at dodging responsibility!  

According to the Insurance Research Council about one out of every eight drivers in the United States does not carry auto insurance. I’ve heard that it is even worse in California where the cost of living is very high. People will pay their rent, car payments, phone, cable, electric bills and buy food to eat, long before they pay their auto insurance bills.

The other related issue is that many of the bad drivers that do comply with the law, and carry liability insurance, only carry the absolute minimum which is $15,000.  If you or someone you love is injured in even a moderate car accident, gets an ambulance ride for $1500 to $4000 or more, has a ER doc take a look and maybe have a few x-rays or a CT scan, the bills can be well in excess of $15,000 the first day!  And, you have not even started any treatment to get better!  $15k is not enough protection. 

It is imperative that you carry what is called, uninsured/underinsured motorist protection on your own auto insurance. Carry as much as you can afford. I’ve seen a lot, so I personally carry a lot!  It is also important to carry what is called Medical Payments coverage. This will cover medical and chiropractic and other bills that are often not covered by your regular health insurance.  When I got in my first and worst car accident right after college, the guy that hit me and caused my injury had no insurance, so I was thankful I had these two protections on my insurance so I could get the car I needed.

Make sure you protect yourself and your family with good insurance. If you or someone you love gets hurt in a car accident, we can help, and if you need more than just chiropractic care, we have relationships with good medical doctors specialists,  therapists and even personal injury attorneys. Sometimes, even with good insurance coverage the insurance companies can be challenging to work with.

Be careful out there!

Your friendly neighborhood Sacramento Chiropractor,

Gregg Anderson, D.C.