Shasta County’s drivers cause aggravation but others in state are worse

May 02--REDDING, California -- Bad drivers are everywhere.

You know the type. You see them weaving in and out of traffic, gunning the accelerator to get a few feet off your bumper when you're driving the speed limit, trimming their beards or putting on mascara, texting away. They seem not to know that little lever on the left side of the steering wheel enables them to warn motorists when they are turning left or right.

But why are the drivers in the North State so much worse? There's even a Facebook group now called "Bad Redding Drivers."

Here's an answer that will either frighten or reassure you: Local drivers are actually better than most Americans on the road. At least, that's what the statistics say.

According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, Shasta County ranked 49th of the state's 58 counties in the total number of fatal and injury accidents in 2012, the most recent data show.

Redding, meanwhile, ranked 85th of 102 comparably-sized cities in the state for that same year.

And California is right around the middle of the list of American states with the worst drivers in a 2014 ranking put out by CarInsuranceComparison.com. The state ranked 26th.

For the record, South Carolina and Montana tied for the dubious No. 1 spot. You're more likely to be killed in South Carolina, but more likely to encounter a drunken driver or a speeder in Montana, according to the rankings, which are based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

But being better than the worst is a lot different from being perfect, or even good.

California Highway Patrol officer Jason Morton has seen it all.

His impression is that "we're tied in a close second to everybody else," when it comes to bad drivers. "It never seems to end wherever you go."

But there's one thing that sticks out for him.

"They are in a hurry (here) and they all have to be first," he said.

Of course, people have always talked about bad driving. But social networking sites, YouTube and the Internet have elevated the art of complaining and shaming.

One website, colorfully named "California Drivers Suck," hosts the often-obscene rants of people who are fed up about bad driving and need to say so.

"It's a war zone out there," one commenter wrote on the website. It's one of the few comments that can be printed in the newspaper.

"I have driven in all the states, except Alaska, and California is the worst I've seen," another says.

Locally, Shannon Hicks says he created the Facebook group Bad Redding Drivers a few months ago, in part, to allow people to vent. He figures that might channel feelings that could otherwise explode into road rage.

The group, which has nearly 100 members, is starting to catch on as more people learn of it, he said.

Hicks, 48, has lived in Redding since 1998. He said his job as a mortgage industry consultant requires him to travel extensively.

And, he says, he sees bad drivers everywhere he goes.

"New York drivers are aggressive, but skilled," he said. "San Francisco is outright scary."

But Redding drivers, he finds, generally tend to be aggressive. That has him perplexed because traffic is uncongested here compared to metropolitan areas.

One thing's for sure: Redding isn't Fort Collins, Colorado, which, for the second year in a row, is home to America's best drivers, according to a report by Allstate.

That ranking is based on, among other factors, population, city density and weather conditions, the report states.

But at least one member of Redding Bad Drivers has a word of encouragement for Redding.

"I am just happy the people here aren't as bad as San Diego drivers," Joshua Queen commented. "Visiting for a month at a time, I want to go home after a week because of the people there. I see more red-light runners there daily than I see here in a year. Rudest, most inconsiderate people I've experienced."

Hicks, who is also an avid bicyclist, is hoping his Facebook group becomes self-sustainable, with people adding their own stories, but he often includes items he finds engaging, such as a video lampooning -- in song -- drivers who don't use their traffic signal indicators: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcI9klgrYoU.

Risky drivers aren't ignorant, according to a recent traffic safety report conducted by the AAA Foundation.

That survey found that a majority of drivers regularly speed, run red lights and use devices that distract them or drive drowsy, even though they know the dangers.

According to that study, more than a third of those drivers admitted running red lights, although 55 percent admitted that's dangerous.

More than a quarter -- 27 percent -- of the drivers acknowledged they had sent a text or email while driving, yet 79 percent of them admitted that behavior is a very serious safety threat and 84 percent said it is completely unacceptable.

"It is very disappointing that we continue to see a prevailing attitude of 'do as I say, not as I do,' where large numbers of motorists seem to recognize the risks of certain behaviors, but do them anyway," said Cynthia Harris, spokeswoman for AAA Northern California. "Creating a safer driving culture in our communities needs to begin with each individual."

But, she admits, that's a steep, uphill climb.

And she notes that cars and trucks being built these days are filled with potential distractions -- everything from global positioning systems to voice-control audio and hands-free mobile phone systems -- that might divert a driver's attention from the road ahead for even just a few seconds.

No matter how fun and useful those high-tech gizmos are, she said, drivers can't let them control their attention.

"When you are in the car, you need to drive," she said.

So what is the pocketbook impact of living in an area where -- statistically at least -- the drivers are better than average?

While it's clear that racking up a bad personal driving record can increase the amount you pay for car insurance, Janet Ruiz, a spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute, said good drivers don't necessarily pay for those bad drivers when it comes to their own premiums.

"There are so many factors that come into play" when determining the price of auto insurance, she said.

Where you live is just one of them. Others include how much you drive, how old you are, your vehicle and wether you're male or female.

The good news? Those living in more rural areas, such as Redding and the North State, generally pay less than those living in larger metropolitan areas with a lot more drivers -- where they stand a higher chance of getting into an accident, Ruiz said.

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