CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ask anyone who drives I-77 or I-485 on a daily basis and they'll tell you Charlotte has some of the worst drivers around.
Now, a new study is confirming those claims by finding that both North Carolina and South Carolina are home to some of the worst drivers in the country.
Experts with Lending Tree examined data from across the country to make their list. Lending Tree's analysis looks for states with the most driving incidents. Researchers considered the number of DUIs, and incidents related to speeding and added in citations.
North Carolina came in at No. 5 with South Carolina not too far behind at No. 8. Researchers say the room for error depends on how each state pulls data. That's whether states only consider incidents on record or the total amount of quotes in a state that are then divided into percentages based on each category.
North Carolina's score was heavily impacted by its DUI rate. The Tar Heel State is one of the only states with a DUI rate higher than 3.00 per 1,000 drivers.
WCNC Charlotte also pulled numbers from last year's rankings, when insurance company QuoteWizard gave the Carolinas its own driving report. North Carolina was No. 18 for worst drivers, while South Carolina was 20th overall.
Contact Kia Murray at kmurray@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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