Report: Virginia Flogs High-Risk Drivers

Labor Day Weekend not only marks the unofficial end of summer, but it’s also one of the year’s heaviest traffic weekends.

With this in mind, online financial tool WalletHub ranked the U.S. states (and Washington, D.C.) on how strictly they crack down on high-risk drivers.

When all was said and done, Virginia ranked third in the nation, meaning it is more strict when dealing with high-risk drivers than every other state with the exception of Arizona (No. 1) and Alaska (No. 2).

WalletHub used criteria like insurance premiums for high-risk drivers, DUI enforcement laws, and speeding and reckless driving enforcement laws in order to form this list. Virginia ranked in the top 10 in the country in strictest DUI criminal penalties, strictest reckless driving penalties and average increase in cost of insurance for high-risk drivers.

Washington, D.C., lies at the other end of the rankings, placing in the bottom 10 on the list at No. 41 overall (it’s tied with Kentucky at 41). Where D.C. really lacked was DUI prevention success, where it ranked 50th out of 51.

And for context’s sake, Maryland placed 35th on the list, tied with Vermont and Wyoming in that spot.

Take a look at WalletHub’s map below, and place your cursor over a state to see how strict (or lenient) it is in comparison to other states: