MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee now ranks top in the country for a certain type of bad driving behavior. It has caused the city drivers to now be considered the 16th worst drivers in the country according to a new report.
For almost a year, TMJ4 News has been talking about how people drive in the City of Milwaukee with the Project: Drive Safer series. Over and over, the community has told us the issues you have seen on the roads.
"Running red lights,” said Taylor Sutton, a Milwaukee driver.
"It is people cutting you off,” said Estelle Sutton, a Milwaukee driver.
Insurance analysts have noticed the bad driving behavior as well. A new study from QuoteWizard.com, which is part of Lending Tree, finds that Milwaukee is number one in the country for speeding, compared to 70 other major cities.
"Milwaukee has the highest rate of drivers who speed, drivers cited for speeding. Which you know, obviously, speed is one of the leading causes of traffic fatalities nationwide,” said Rob Bhatt, an analyst at QuoteWizard.
On top of that, Milwaukee and Madison rank in the top 20 for worst drivers in America. Analysts found that by looking at crash reports, speeding tickets, DUIs and citations. The study shows Milwaukee and Madison had some of the highest incident rates in the country.
"It points to conditions that are not safe, or a little more risky and dangerous than they should be. Most of these are things really - these are all things that drivers can control themselves,” said Bhatt.
If you are ticketed for one of those driving behaviors, you are likely to see a big jump in your insurance. A speeding ticket usually means a 10-20 percent jump in your premium. A crash is usually between 30-40 percent jump and a DUI 40-60 percent increase.
Analysts say even if you have a perfect driving record, you are likely to see your insurance premiums go up. It is why Milwaukee mother Taylor Sutton says any time she is on the road, she is driving defensively.
“I have to drive for not only myself but for everybody else. I have children so I have to make sure I avoid any hiccups in the road,” said Sutton.
Analysts say insurance premiums usually go up in the months following these types of studies. So your best option is to practice safe driving behavior so your insurance is as low as possible.
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