Californians have a major problem when it comes to impaired driving, new data suggests.
According to a study by financial website LendingTree that analyzed the 50 largest U.S. cities, the 10 worst places for drunk driving lie solely in North Carolina and California, the latter of which has eight on the list.
While the city with the highest DUI rate in the country isn’t in California – it’s Raleigh, North Carolina – spots two through eight and number 10 are:
| Rank | City | DUIs per 1,000 drivers |
| 1. | Raleigh, North Carolina | 1.46 |
| 2. | Sacramento | 1.31 |
| 3. | Los Angeles | 1.12 |
| 4. | San Jose | 1.09 |
| 5. | Bakersfield | 1.05 |
| 6. | Fresno | 0.90 |
| 7. | San Diego | 0.87 |
| 8. | Long Beach | 0.69 |
| 9. | Charlotte, North Carolina | 0.67 |
| 10. | Oakland | 0.61 |
LendingTree auto insurance expert Rob Bhatt says researchers weren’t able to pinpoint exactly why North Carolina and California are DUI hotspots, but weather could play a factor, he suggested.
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The driver of a Toyota Prius is facing DUI charges after he slammed into 10 parked cars in Orange early Saturday morning, June 4, 2022 (OC Hawk) -
A car was split in half in a suspected fatal DUI crash in Castaic on July 3, 2024. (KNN) -
Police investigate a deadly DUI crash that killed two people in Jefferson Park on March 28, 2024. (KTLA) -
A wrong-way crash in Ventura involving a driver suspected of being under the influence claimed the lives of two people on June 8, 2024. (KNN)
