Who Are The Worst Drivers

There is no objective group that can accurately be labelled “the worst drivers.” Crash risk is better assessed through measurable behaviours and conditions than stereotypes about age, gender, location or vehicle type. Dangerous driving behaviours include impairment by alcohol or drugs, speeding, texting or other distraction, aggressive driving, tailgating, running traffic signals and driving while dangerously fatigued. Some demographic groups can have higher crash rates for particular measures. For example, inexperienced young drivers may have elevated risk because they have had less time to develop hazard-recognition skills, while older drivers can face challenges associated with changes in vision, reaction time or health. However, individual ability varies greatly within every age group. Statistics can also look different depending on whether risk is measured per licensed driver, per mile driven or by total crashes. For practical safety purposes, identifying risky behaviour is more useful than identifying a supposed category of “bad drivers.” A careful driver can reduce risk regardless of demographic group.