Colorado drivers now rank among the worst in the country, thanks to rising rates of scofflaws and speeders, according to an annual analysis from Car Insurance Comparison.
Colorado drivers ranked as the 6th worst in the nation in 2019, down from 15th worst in 2017 and 2018, according to the study, which relied on 3,000 data points compiled from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Colorado dropped, got worse, in every category since last year’s study,” said spokesman Nelson Garcia.
It’s the first time Colorado has cracked the 10 worst driver rankings since the company’s study launched in 2011, although other rankings have put Colorado in the camp of the states where drivers perform poorly.
The study found that Colorado drivers ranked third-worst for “failure to obey” violations, things such as not wearing a seat belt, running a red light or driving without a valid license. That’s down from 18th worst.
And they ranked 11th worst for speeding violations, with 210 of the 632 traffic fatalities last year involving a speeding driver, according to the study.
New Mexico drivers had the bottom ranking, due to a high rate of drunk driving violations. Drivers also performed poorly in South Carolina, high fatalities; Arizona, careless driving; Louisiana, high fatalities, and Texas, drunk driving.
Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio and New Hampshire have the nation’s best drivers, according to the study from the insurance policy comparison site.
