8 out of 10 worst cities for drunk driving are in California, LendingTree says. Where are they?

California is home for some of the worst cities for drunk driving, according to LendingTree.

Eight of the 10 U.S. cities with the highest rates of driving under the influence are in the Golden State, the personal financial website said.

Raleigh, North Carolina, was No. 1 on LendingTree’s list of the 10 Worst Cities for Drunken Driving in the United States in 2024, with an average rate of 1.46 DUIs per 1,000 drivers.

Sacramento came in second place with 1.31 DUIs per 1,000 drivers, while Los Angeles was No. 3 with 1.12 DUIs. per 1,000 drivers.

“California is one of the more populated states, so obviously you have more people out there making bad decisions,” said Mike Salas, California Highway Patrol public information officer. “It’s not just a local issue. It’s a statewide issue that, unfortunately, we have to deal with every day.”

Here’s where other California cities ranked:

Which California cities have the most DUIs?

Sacramento and Los Angeles weren’t the only major California cities on LendingTree’s list of the worst U.S. cities for drunk driving.

San Jose, which landed at No. 4, had 1.09 DUIs per 1,000 people, the LendingTree study found, while Bakersfield came in fifth place with 1.05 DUIs per 1,000 people.

Fresno was No. 6 with 0.90 DUIs per 1,000 people and San Diego came in at No. 7 with 0.87 DUIs per 1,000 people.

Long Beach landed at No. 8 with 0.69 DUIs per 1,000 people, and Oakland rounded out the top 10 with 0.61 DUIs per 1,000 people.

California’s mild climate and tough restrictions on drunk driving might explain why DUI numbers tend to be higher in the Golden State, according to Rob Bhatt, LendingTree auto insurance expert and licensed insurance agent.

“In warmer areas, there may be a greater temptation to imbibe away from your home than in areas with cooler or more severe climates,” Bhatt said.

Salas said impaired driving isn’t limited to specific areas or streets.

What are the 10 worst cities for drunk driving in the US?

These are the 10 worst cities in the United States for DUIs, according to LendingTree:

1. Raleigh, North Carolina
2. Sacramento
3. Los Angeles
4. San Jose
5. Bakersfield
6. Fresno
7. San Diego
8. Long Beach
9. Charlotte, North Carolina
10. Oakland

Which age groups are most likely to get DUIs?

According to the LendingTree study, one age group in particular is most likely to drive impaired.

Members of Generation Z — defined by the Pew Research Center as those born between 1997 and 2005 — had 0.39 DUIs per 1,000 drivers, the study found.

Those drivers were ages 18 to 26 in 2023.

Bhatt said that “seems consistent with the tendency for younger drivers to be bigger risk-takers than older drivers.”

According to the study, other risky behaviors include speeding , aggressive driving and texting while driving.

Here’s how Gen Z compared to other age groups:

Salas said drunk driving affects people from every age group and social economic background.

“Impaired driving is not solely based on any specific person or place that they go to,” he said. “it really is based on somebody’s poor decision to get behind the wheel impaired, again, whether it be alcohol or drugs or the combination of the two.”

Does the vehicle you drive make a difference?

Cadillac drivers tend to have the most DUIs, according to the LendingTree study.

Here’s how DUI rates break down by vehicle make for the five worst offenders, according to researchers:

• Cadillac: 0.56 DUIs per 1,000 drivers
• Buick: 0.34
• Ford: 0.30
• Lexus: 0.29
• BMW: 0.28

How is CHP keeping impaired drivers off the road?

According to Salas, one of the CHP’s main focuses is keeping impaired drivers off the road.

“We have DUI checkpoints that we deploy throughout the year,” Salas said, as well as “DUI saturation patrols” with increased numbers of police officers patrolling specific areas on the lookout for impaired drivers.

He said that California residents can play an important role in catching drunk drivers in the act.

“We heavily look for our public to be our eyes and ears out there on the roadway,” Salas said. “We definitely encourage anyone to call 911 if they have observed somebody driving a little erratically, maybe a little bit slower, swerving within the lanes — anything that someone might believe that someone is driving impaired.”

How did LendingTree come up with its rankings?

To determine the worst U.S. cities for driving under the influence, LendingTree researchers analyzed millions of insurance quotes by QuoteWizard from July 9, 2023, through July 9.

LendingTree then calculated the number of DUIs per 1,000 drivers in the 50 largest U.S. cities in terms of population.

Researchers followed the same process to determine the most drunk drivers by generation and most drunk drivers by vehicle make in each city.

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