It has been known that DUIs have been an issue in Sacramento, with the frequency of them increasing. A DUI is a driving incident in which a driver drives under the influence of a substance that alters their state, such as alcohol or drugs. This week, there was a reported drunk driving incident that caused a multi-car accident. The alleged driver collided with a city buss and two other vehicles. To make matters worse, this incident was also a hit and run. From this incident, only minor injuries were reported, but not every case is this lucky. Sacramento residents are growing increasingly more concerned about these incidents, as a study was recently published showing that Sacramento has one of the worst DUI rates in the nation.

According to the study, Sacramento has the third highest DUI rates.

The study, published by Lending Tree, surveyed 50 of the largest cities in the United States. Per their analysis, Sacramento came in third for their amount of DUIs. In second was fellow California Bay Area city, San Jose. In first place with the worst DUI rate was Omaha, Nebraska.

Sacramento’s survey data showed that they have 3.55 DUIs per 1,000 drivers. The first place city of Omaha had 4.48 DUIs per 1,000 drivers. Sacramento and San Jose are not alone in being in the top ten cities across the nation and being located in California. Of the top ten worst cities when it comes to DUIs, six are in California. The other four cities are Fresno, Long Beach, Bakersfield, and Oakland.

The study found that Gen Z drivers have the highest likelihood of driving under the influence.

According to the study, driving under the influence and being caught with a DUI increases in frequency with each new generation. Gen Z came at the top of the list when looking at the age of DUI drivers, followed shortly thereafter by millennials. This is not an uncommon trend, as studies have previously shown that dangerous driving behaviors are more common in younger generations. An analyst from Lending Tree described it by saying, “People tend to become more risk averse as they age.”

In order to curb the DUI frequency, Sacramento enforces periodic check points.

These check points involve officers station on streets that see frequent driving incidents. They check cars and their drivers to confirm their sobriety.

Furthermore, the city is set to launch a mapping tool that will show how many fatalities and injuries occur and where on Sacramento streets. The tool is located on the city’s website and includes all reported crashes over a ten year period. This accounts for 352 lives lost.

Whether you are in Sacramento or not, drink responsibly and do not drive if you are not sober.