HESPERIA, CA. (Pain In The Pass) >> Seven cities ranked the 50 worst drivers in the nation, in a study according to Consumer Affairs.
Rialto came in #7, made the biggest wrong-way turn of any city in this year’s top 10, changing 155 spots, from 162nd to seventh.
In every measure, Rialto got worse year over year. The steepest increase was alcohol-related. Deaths involving positive BAC readings went from zero to 3.8 per 100,000 residents, while fatalities involving driving under the influence rose 293%. That tracks with a wider trend in the region. A 2025 California State University, San Bernardino study found alcohol-impaired driving deaths across the Inland Empire were well above the average statewide.
Jurupa Valley came in #8, change in ranking is one of the most dramatic in this year’s report. The city ranked 314th, near the bottom of the list, two years ago. Last year it was 49th.
Speeding-related deaths are to blame. The rate, 12.1 per 100,000 residents, is up more than 327% from last year, and is the highest in the country. In smaller cities — Jurupa Valley ranks 299th in population out of 338 cities in our study — “even a relatively slight increase in serious crashes can make the numbers appear to spike,” Lin, of USF, said.
Hesperia rounds out this year’s at #10, moving up 78 spots from last year. Its overall fatality rate rose more than any other top 10 city this year, up 47%, to 26.4 per 100,000 residents, the fourth highest in the country. It also has the seventh-highest rate of traffic deaths involving driving under the influence and the seventh highest-rate of deaths involving speeding.
Rapid population growth may be a factor in the rise of dangerous driving. Hesperia’s police department has cited the city’s rapid increase in population over the past five years as a contributor to its traffic safety challenges.
The other SoCal cities made the top 50 Worst Drivers in America list is Victorville that came in 22nd, Ontario that came in 34th, San Bernardino and El Cajon came in 44th and 45th .
Across the full dataset, population size seems to matter when it comes to big swings in metrics. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with one of the smaller population sizes on our list, exemplifies this well. The count of traffic deaths fell from 17 to four over a year; that contributed to an improvement of 274 spots in the overall rankings — the greatest of any city in the U.S.
That pattern may help explain one of the odder findings in this year’s data. Charleston, South Carolina, fell 207 spots, from 10th worst to 217th. Its neighbor, North Charleston, climbed to fourth from 13th over the same stretch — two smaller cities in the same metro area, moving in opposite directions.
The same volatility applies at the other extreme. El Cajon, California, posted the largest move toward the dangerous end of the rankings in the country, from 305th to 45th. Colorado stands out, too. Fort Collins, Greeley and Thornton all took a wrong turn by at least 148 spots. (Colorado also ranks among the worst for road rage.)
Of all 338 cities in our analysis, Salinas, California, performed best overall: It had just one traffic-related death in the latest year that data is available — and it wasn’t attributable to bad driving, alcohol, drugs or speeding.
Tips for protecting yourself against bad drivers:
Defensive driving won’t stop other people from driving recklessly, but it can help you avoid becoming part of the consequences.
Here’s what road safety experts recommend:
Keep a conservative following distance. “Think in seconds, not car lengths,” said Nicholas Burlingame, a region director at Sage Truck Driving Schools, which trains commercial drivers. “Pick a fixed point on the road and count how long it takes you to reach it after the car ahead passes it.” He recommends three to five seconds in good conditions, and more if the driver ahead seems distracted.
Put your phone away before you drive. Doug Herbert, the founder of B.R.A.K.E.S., a nonprofit that trains teenage drivers, noted that distracted driving is the top issue his instructors see, even with hands-free laws in place.
Scan around, not just straight ahead. Herbert recommends adjusting your mirrors and seat first, so you have “an unimpeded 360-degree view” around you.
Don’t engage with aggressive drivers. “The moment you try to teach someone else a lesson on the road, you’ve become part of the problem,” Burlingame emphasized. Slow down and let them pass instead.
The article from Consumer Affairs, to see the whole list click here.
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