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.
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)
“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, a licensed insurance agent, opined.
Getting caught driving under the influence is not cheap; besides legal fees, vehicle repairs and possible restitution, insurance rates skyrocket after a DUI conviction.
In fact, California is home to many cities where annual car insurance premiums increase the most after a DUI:
| Rank | City | Avg. annual car insurance premium | Avg. annual premium with a DUI | Annual difference |
| 1. | Detroit, Michigan | $6,138.45 | $13,772.65 | $7,634.20 |
| 2. | Charlotte, North Carolina | $1,575.48 | $6,407.99 | $4,832.51 |
| 3. | Los Angeles | $2,584.40 | $7,314.56 | $4,730.16 |
| 4. | Raleigh, North Carolina | $1,355.38 | $5,453.21 | $4,097.83 |
| 5. | Oakland | $2,109.08 | $5,974.93 | $3,865.86 |
| 6. | San Francisco | $2,097.67 | $5,951.40 | $3,853.73 |
| 7. | Sacramento | $2,058.20 | $5,826.98 | $3,768.81 |
| 8. | Long Beach | $2,058.20 | $5,826.98 | $3,768.78 |
| 9. | Bakersfield | $1,858.12 | $5,297.39 | $3,439.27 |
| 10. | Fresno | $1,836.46 | $5,208.04 | $3,371.58 |
LendingTree data also showed that Gen Z drivers – those between the ages of 18 and 26 – are the most likely to get caught driving drunk, with a rate of 0.39 DUIs per 1,000 drivers.
Millennials are not far behind, data suggested, with motorists from that generation (ages 27 through 42, according to LendingTree) averaging 0.32 DUIs per 1,000 drivers.
For the study, researchers analyzed tens of millions of insurance quotes from LendingTree’s QuoteWizard service between July 2023 and July 2024 and used that data to calculate the number of DUIs per 1,000 drivers in the 50 most populated cities across America.
The full study can be read here.
