Beware of Dangerous Drivers in This South Carolina City
If you’re driving around the state and think to yourself, wow, there are a lot of dangerous drivers in South Carolina, you’re not wrong. There’s a new study out from safety experts that shows South Carolina is one of the worst states for certain driving behavior. So, stay extra safe on the road, and be aware of what’s going on around you. It’s like my mom used to say when I first started to drive: “I’m not worried about your driving. I’m worried about everyone else’s driving.”
You’ll Find Dangerous Drivers in This South Carolina City, Experts Say
Allstate has a new report out on the best and worst cities for safety when it comes on driving, based on driving behavior, including in South Carolina. So, basically, these are cities with the most dangerous drivers, and least dangerous. “For the first time, the report uses anonymized connected driving data from Allstate’s mobility data and analytics partner Arity to rank the 100 most populous U.S. urban areas by driving behavior, like phone handling, high-speed driving and hard braking,” they explain.
In the study, they discovered that drivers on the West Coast handle their phone less on the road than in other areas of the country. That makes those drivers safer. “San Jose, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Bernadino, and Portland, Oregon are among the top 10 areas where drivers handle their phone the least,” they explain. Also, drivers in the Midwest hard brake the least, making them safe in that area. Midwest cities where drivers hard brake the very least are Madison, Cleveland, Des Moines, Minneapolis and St. Louis. Also, drivers in the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast drive at safer speeds, with Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Buffalo, Albany, Rochester and Allentown being the top 10 areas that avoid driving over 80 mph.
The city with the safest drivers in the United States, according to Allstate, is Honolulu. It’s No. 1 in both hard breaking rank and high-speed rank. The city with the second safest drivers is Minneapolis, followed by Seattle at No. 3, Portland at No. 4 and Virginia Beach at No. 5. So, what about our state? Columbia, South Carolina, comes in at No. 83 for safety out of 100 cities on the tally, making it one of the cities with the most dangerous drivers in America. It’s ranked No. 40 for the hard breaking rank and No. 83 in high-speed rank. Not great. If you’re wondering, Charlotte, North Carolina, is No. 69 on the tally, so that’s not super great, either. Raleigh is No. 68. Let’s hope the next time this report rolls around we’re in an even safer spot when it comes to dangerous drivers.
You Should Know These New Scams That Are Trending
Watch out for the new 'check cooking scam'
The AARP warns of a new scam called the “check cooking scam.” The AARP states, “In check cooking, thieves take a digital picture of a stolen check and then use commercially available software to alter it.” It can look super real, but it’s fake. So, how do you stay safe? “Consider using a safer payment method, such as a credit card,” they suggest.
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Look out for the 'delayed-action sweepstakes scam'
The AARP states also warns of a new sweepstakes scam where “instead of trying to get you to pay taxes or other fees in advance to collect the nonexistent prize, the scammers will ask for personal information so that they can validate you and set up the payout.” Just say no.
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Watch out for AI-powered scams
These days, AI scams are big. Experian.com says today, scammers use technology to “write more convincing and natural-sounding phishing emails and text messages.” They can also “Impersonate the victim’s friend or relative and ask for money as part of a grandparent scam.” It’s scary stuff. Beware of anything that sounds too crazy, as these can often seem far-fetched, but AI makes them look real.
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Beware of student loan forgiveness scams
Experian.com says that student loan forgiveness scams are on the rise. They note that, “scammers may contact you via phone or create phony application sites aimed at stealing your Social Security number or your bank account information.” Don’t give out your information. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
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Look out for the Paris Olympics scam
This one is really wild. With the games on the way, scammers can use the games to scam you. The AARP states, “A scammer hacks someone’s email account, and shortly after, all of that person’s contacts will receive the same message — something to the effect of, ‘Hey guys, I’m over in Paris and my wallet got stolen! Can anyone please help me out by sending gift cards or a Venmo deposit?”
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The best way to avoid scams
Whether the scam is new or old, the best way to avoid it is to stop and think about what’s happening. These scam artists are super good at what they do, but if you just stop for a moment and really think out any actions, you can avoid making a rash decision that could cost you.
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