You’re in the middle of a long drive, perhaps a road trip, and your mind is wandering—either admiring the scenery or bored with the monotony of the Interstate Highway.
However, suddenly, the loud sound of a mermaid brings you back to reality. As it turns out, you’re driving at 75 mph—exceeding the legal speed limit. You accept the traffic ticket, pay for it later, and think nothing of it.
That is, unless it happens three times in the next six months, and you receive notice that your driver’s license has been suspended. Of course, there is more than one way to temporarily revoke your license. Speed is one, but drug and alcohol-related violations or more serious offenses like hit-and-run can also do the trick. Suspension can be costly—for one you can’t drive with a suspended license, and you’ll have to pay a fee to be able to hit the streets again—but the financial impact of temporarily suspending your license It goes much further than this. Violations go on your driving record and can lead to higher insurance rates.
For an in-depth look at suspended license rates, the data science team at Insurify, an auto insurance quote comparison site, ran numbers to determine which regions across the country had the highest percentage of drivers with suspended licenses.
Insights
National average. In the United States, an average of 2.59 percent of drivers reported having a suspended license. Nationally, 22.32 percent of drivers reported having committed at least one traffic violation. Drivers with suspended licenses are also more likely to be involved in fatal accidents. According to a study conducted in 2014 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers with invalid licenses comprised 13 percent of all motorists involved in fatal accidents. Where it rains, it rains … License suspension. Among the top 15 cities with the highest rates of suspended licenses across the country, there were three states that made frequent appearances. There were three cities in Indiana that ranked ninth, 13th, and 15th respectively. That being said, it wasn’t even the state with the most cities ranking in the top 15. Ohio was home to four different cities at the top of the list, and those cities ranked 3rd, 4th, 12th, and 14th. Virginia also ranked four cities in the top 15. Those cities came in at number one, six, seven and 10 on the list. More drivers does not equal more suspended licenses. From the database, the researchers identified the city in each of the 50 states (plus Washington, DC) with the highest percentage of drivers with suspended licenses. However, there is no significant correlation between the city’s population and the proportion of drivers with temporarily revoked licenses. Take, for example, Phoenix and Detroit, which were the two most populous cities with the most license suspensions in their respective states. Overall, these two cities are at the bottom of the list of cities with the most suspended licenses in their states.
methodology
To examine the cities with the most license suspensions, data scientists at Insurance, a car insurance comparison platform, analyzed its database of more than 1.6 million car insurance applications. Applicants provide information about themselves, their vehicle and their driver history, including whether their license was active or suspended. The proportion of car owners with suspended licenses compared to the total number of drivers in the city was analyzed to determine the ranking. Then, the city with the highest percentage in each state was selected. Here are the top 20. Data about the percentage of drivers with past driving violations was also collected from insurance databases, while information about drivers involved in fatal accidents came from a 2014 study by the NHTSA called “Driver License Compliance Status in Fatal Accidents.”
Cities with the most suspended driving licenses
1. Reston, VA – Percentage of drivers with a suspended license: 14.69%
2. Williston, ND – Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 13.50%
3. Euclid, OH – Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 11.97%
4. Orangevale, CA – Percentage of drivers with a suspended license: 10.0%
5. Lafayette, IN – Percentage of drivers with a suspended license: 9.89%
6. Salina, KS – Percentage of drivers with a suspended license: 8.59%
7. Lewiston, ID – Percentage of drivers with a suspended license: 8.23%
8. Windsor, CO – Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 8.18%
9. Kearney, NE – Percentage of drivers with a suspended license: 8.00%
10. Alton, IL – Percentage of drivers with a suspended license: 7.55%
20. Payson, Utah
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 5.81% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 41.29% Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses State-wide: 15%
19. Troy, Alabama
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 6.14% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 20.35% State-wide Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses: 13%
18. Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 6.21% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 30.51% State-wide Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses: 14%
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17. Duluth, Minnesota
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 6.33% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 22.67% State-wide Percentage of fatal crashes drivers with invalid licenses: 9%
16. Bastrop, Texas
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 6.59% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 16.48% State-wide Percentage of fatal crash drivers with invalid licenses: 18%
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15. Des Moines, Iowa
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 6.65% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 29.82% State-wide Percentage of fatal crashes drivers with invalid licenses: 12%
14. Hammond, Louisiana
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 6.74% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 18.54% State-wide Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses: 14%
13. Coos Bay, Oregon
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 7.11% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 19.82% State-wide Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses: 13%
12. La Vergne, Tennessee
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 7.18% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 24.86% Statewide Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses: 13%
11. Hannibal, Missouri
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 7.49% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 32.62% State-wide Percentage of fatal crashes drivers with invalid licenses: 12%
10. Alton, Illinois
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 7.55% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 22.64% State-wide Percentage of fatal crashes drivers with invalid licenses: 8%
9. Kearney, Nebraska
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 8.00% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 25.71% State-wide Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses: 5%
8. Windsor, Colorado
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 8.18% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 35.22% Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses Statewide: 17%
7. Lewiston, Idaho
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 8.23% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 29.11% State-wide Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses: 8%
6. Salina, Kansas
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 8.59% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 21.72% Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses Statewide: 13%
5. Lafayette, Indiana
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 9.89% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 28.02% State-wide Percentage of fatal crash drivers with invalid licenses: 14%
4. Orangevale, California
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 10.0% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 28.82% State-wide Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses: 18%
3. Euclid, Ohio
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 11.97% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 34.62% State-wide Percentage of fatal crash drivers with invalid licenses: 11%
2. Williston, North Dakota
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 13.50% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 34.55% Percentage of fatal accident drivers with invalid licenses State-wide: 17%
1. Reston, Virginia
Percentage of drivers with suspended licenses: 14.69% Percentage of drivers with prior driving violations: 26.42% State-wide Percentage of fatal crash drivers with invalid licenses: 8%
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