Cleveland Drivers Really Are Among the Worst in the U.S., Study Finds

A typical scene around Northeast Ohio Credit: @LakewoodFire

Here’s official confirmation of something we’ve all long known to be true: Cleveland drivers are basically the worst. In fact, we’re among the six worst in the entire U.S.

That’s according to a new study by ConsumerAffairs, which analyzed a host of statistics that demonstrate bad driving, including the number of fatal crashes per 100,000 people, the number of fatalities caused by bad driving, the number of fatalities linked to driving under the influence and the prevalence of speeding in fatal accidents. Yep, all things we’d associate with Cleveland drivers!

Cleveland ranked only behind Memphis, Tennessee (No. 1); Baton Rouge, Louisiana (No. 2); Albuquerque, New Mexico (No. 3); Macon, Georgia (No. 4) and St. Louis (No. 5). Right after us: Detroit, Michigan; the California cities of Victorville and Hespernia; and Rockford, Illinois.

In Cleveland, the study found that one-third of all fatal crashes here are related to speeding. St. Louis also notched a high percentage of fatal crashes involving drivers with a positive blood alcohol content — 32.39 percent, the highest of all the cities in the top five.

Read the details and weep: