Tulsa comes in at number four on a list of cities with high rates of fatal DUI accidents.
John Kuo, an analyst for the financial website NerdWallet said Tulsa had 74 deadly crashes from 2010 to 2012 — as many as some much larger cities.
"Tulsa actually has as many alcohol-related fatal crashes as Oklahoma City, which is a city that has almost 200,000 more residents than Tulsa," Kuo said.
According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, there were 205 drunk driving deaths statewide in 2012, about one-third of all traffic deaths. San Bernardino, Calif., was at the top of NerdWallet’s list.
And getting a DUI in Tulsa is less costly in the long run than it is in many other cities.
DUIs are expensive — court costs, fines and, when you can drive again, higher car insurance premiums. Nationwide, insurance rates went up an average of 75 percent for people convicted of drunk driving.
But the NerdWallet study found Tulsans aren’t being hit as hard.
"The percentage increase in insurance is significantly lower than the national average," Kuo said. "Tulsa came in at about 40 percent — 42.34 percent."
No. 1 city San Bernardino also had one of the highest rate increases, where insurance premiums went up 135 percent after a DUI. The biggest average increase was in Fayetteville, N.C., where it was 158 percent.
