As soon as I read the Slate article claiming that Baltimore has the fifth-worst drivers in the nation, I started arguing with it. “Your statistics are dodgy!” I said (to no one in particular). “And what about those DC drivers, anyway?” And then I remembered the time someone ran a stoplight and smashed into my friend’s car. Or that time I barely missed getting rear-ended on the JFX. Or all those drivers who refuse to use their blinkers. And I thought, “Hmmm. You might have a point.”
The Slate piece based its list on various data about accidents and drunk-driving. Baltimore, it turns out, has extremely high rates of automotive fatalities, deaths that involved alcohol, and cars striking pedestrians. (Yike!) Another report, this one put out by Allstate, used different number-crunching to arrive at its worst-driver list. Only two cities appear on both lists — Hialeah, Florida and… yes, Baltimore.
Baltimore drivers: you can do better.
