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Who Ranks Best Behind The Wheel? Allstate Best Drivers Report Reveals Cities with Safest Drivers
Allstate (Business Wire via Google News) ^ | June 07, 2005

Posted on 06/07/2005 10:01:56 AM PDT by newgeezer

NORTHBROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 2005--Residents of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, rank as the safest drivers in the U.S. according to the Allstate Insurance Company's (NYSE:ALL) inaugural "America's Best Drivers Report."

The first-of-its kind ranking of U.S. cities with populations 100,000-plus, revealed that the average driver in the central Iowa city will experience an auto collision every 15 years, compared to the national likelihood of a crash every 10 years - making them 33.28 percent less likely to have an accident than the national average.

Allstate researchers analyzed internal data to determine the likelihood drivers in America's largest 196 cities would experience an auto collision compared to the national average.

"As one of the country's largest insurers, Allstate is uniquely positioned to present this significant report," said Daryll Fletcher, Vice President in charge of data and research at Allstate. "This wealth of data enables Allstate to salute America's best drivers and recognize their safe driving skills, which make all of our communities safer places to live, work and raise families."

Cedar Rapids city officials were not shocked that the city ranked high on the list.

"With the majority of crashes occurring within five miles of the home, it's reassuring that our residents are the safest," said Paul Pate, Cedar Rapids' mayor. "The quality of our community's driver education programs combined with the consideration of our Traffic Engineering department goes a long way to make our roadways safe for everyone. We thought we'd make the list, but we never realized we'd be No. 1 in the country."

The Top 10

Drivers across Iowa, Tennessee and Colorado shine as the nation's safest, as two cities from each state rank among the top 10 with the safest drivers, according to the report.

         Rank/City       .......    Collision Likelihood       Average Years
.................................Compared to..............Between
...............................National Average..........Collisions
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
 1.  Cedar Rapids, Iowa        33.3% less likely            15
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
 2.  Sioux Falls, S.D.         27.4% less likely            13.8
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
 3.  Chattanooga, Tenn.        27.2% less likely            13.7
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
 4.  Huntsville, Ala.          23.8% less likely            13.1
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
 5.  Knoxville, Tenn.          23.8% less likely            13.1
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
 6.  Des Moines, Iowa          21.5% less likely            12.7
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
 7.  Topeka, Kan.              20.6% less likely            12.6
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
 8.  Lakewood, Colo.           19.7% less likely            12.4
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
 9.  Fort Collins, Colo.       19.4% less likely            12.4
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
10.  Birmingham, Ala.          19.3% less likely            12.4
     -----------------------------------------------------------------

"What makes this report from Allstate valuable is that it is based on real world collision data from actual drivers," said Allan Williams, the recently retired chief scientist and researcher at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "Also, Allstate's auto policies represent about 12 percent of the U.S. population, making this report a realistic snapshot of what's happening on America's roadways."

Additional "Road" Scholars

Drivers in U.S. cities with populations of one million-plus are more likely than the national average to experience a collision. Phoenix, the top-ranked city in this category, mirrors the national collision average of one accident every 10 years.

         Rank/City       .......    Collision Likelihood       Average Years
.................................Compared to..............Between
...............................National Average..........Collisions
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
 64. Phoenix                    0.4% more likely            10
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
111. San Diego                 10.3% more likely             9.1
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
121. Houston                   28.6% more likely             7.8
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
167. San Antonio               28.9% more likely             7.8
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
169. New York City             30.3% more likely             7.7
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
173. Chicago                   35.2% more likely             7.4
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
177. Los Angeles               38.3% more likely             7.2
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
180. Dallas                    39.3% more likely             7.2
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
182. Philadelphia              46.2% more likely             6.8
     -----------------------------------------------------------------

According to the report, Milwaukee drivers will experience a collision approximately every 11.5 years and rank as the safest of the metros with populations between 500,000 and one million residents.

         Rank/City       .......    Collision Likelihood       Average Years
.................................Compared to..............Between
...............................National Average..........Collisions
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
17.  Milwaukee                   13% less likely            11.5
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
18.  Memphis, Tenn.            12.7% less likely            11.5
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
23.  Nashville, Tenn.          12.1% less likely            11.4
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
47.  El Paso, Texas             5.3% less likely            10.6
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
52.  Oklahoma City              3.4% less likely            10.4
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
53.  Tucson, Ariz.              2.8% less likely            10.3
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
60.  Indianapolis                 1% less likely            10.1
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
72.  Denver                     2.2% more likely             9.8
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
86.  Jacksonville, Fla.         4.6% more likely             9.6
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
97.  Portland, Ore.               8% more likely             9.3
     -----------------------------------------------------------------

Secrets to Safety

"Many factors contribute to how cities rank in the report," said Williams. "Some factors - demographic makeup, commuting patterns and city design - cannot be changed; others, like smart traffic engineering and strong law enforcement initiatives, can help to prevent crashes in metropolitan areas."

Cedar Rapids is taking a serious and proactive approach to roadway improvements and law enforcement, city safety commissioner and police officer Dave Zahn said.

"Our traffic engineers work hand-in-hand with the community members to minimize traffic congestion and collision frequency," Zahn said. "For example, we recently expanded a 15 block strip of Mt. Vernon Road, one of our busier streets, from four lanes to five. Since its completion, collisions are down 66 percent on that stretch of road."

Zahn also pointed to Cedar Rapid's courteous driving style as a reason for the city's top ranking. He outlined lessons that all drivers could learn from Cedar Rapids residents.

-- Signs mean something - Traffic signs are here to help us. "Yield, stop and school zone speed limits are meant to be followed, not ignored," Zahn said.

-- Respect sirens - "Pull over to the side of the road when you see emergency vehicles," Zahn said. "I always tell people 'You never know. You may be the one in the back of that ambulance some day.'"

-- Yellow really does mean caution - "Slow down - don't speed up - when approaching a yellow light," Zahn stressed.

-- Speeding gets you nowhere fast - "Exceeding the speed limit won't get you to your destination any faster," Zahn said. "The few minutes you save you'll lose sitting at the next red light anyway."

-- Courtesy matters on the road, too - "Treat those you share the road with the same as you would your friends, family and co-workers," commented Zahn.

The Math Behind the Rankings

To create the report, Allstate researchers analyzed internal property damage claims over a two-year period (from January, 2002 to December, 2003) to ensure the findings would not be impacted by external influences such as weather or road construction. A weighted average of the two-year numbers determined the annual percentages. The report defines an auto crash as any collision resulting in property damage.

Crashes Happen

In all, Allstate policyholders in the largest 196 U.S. cities were involved in more than 2.2 million crashes over the 24-month period measured in the report. Nationwide, U.S. drivers experienced more than 8.7 million collisions during the same two-year period, statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed.

According to insurance.com, more crashes occur on Saturdays than any other day of the week. Friday ranked second and Thursday came in third. Collisions are least likely to occur on Sundays. Collisions are most likely to happen between 3 and 6 p.m. From 6 and 9 p.m. ranked second and 9 p.m. - midnight finished third. The fewest crashes occur between midnight and 3 a.m.

For the complete listing of all U.S. cities with 100,000-plus residents ranked in the Allstate report, log onto www.allstate.com.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE:ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate(R)" slogan, Allstate helps individuals in approximately 17 million households protect what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow through approximately 13,600 exclusive agencies and financial professionals in the U.S. and Canada. Customers can access Allstate products and services such as auto insurance and homeowners insurance through Allstate agencies, or in select states at allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate(R). Encompass(SM) and Deerbrook(R) Insurance brand property and casualty products are sold exclusively through independent agents. Allstate Financial Group provides life and supplemental accident and health insurance, annuity, banking and retirement products designed for individual, institutional and worksite customers that are distributed through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, financial institutions and broker-dealers.

Note: The Allstate data excludes cities in the state of Massachusetts, where Allstate Insurance Company does not offer insurance products.


Reward: Safest U.S. drivers get tanked up

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa | June 07, 2005 6:11:21 PM IST

Some 800 drivers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, got tanked up for free Tuesday morning as a reward from the Allstate Insurance Co., for safe driving.

The company gave away 8,000 gallons [of gasoline] in 10-gallon allotments for the city, which topped a list of safe driving among 197 of the largest cities, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported.

The company found Cedar Rapids motorists average an accident once every 15 years, far better than the national rate of one every 10 years.

Part of the low accident rate is possibly linked to the road courtesy shown in the eastern Iowa city, WBBM-AM, Chicago said, quoting a driver.

People are so polite here, the motorist said. "At a 'stop' sign, it's 'You go.'

No, why don't you go?'"

(UPI)


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Alabama; US: Arizona; US: California; US: Colorado; US: Florida; US: Illinois; US: Indiana; US: Iowa; US: Kansas; US: New York; US: Oklahoma; US: Oregon; US: Pennsylvania; US: South Dakota; US: Tennessee; US: Texas; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: accidents; allstate; autoinsurance; autosafety; driving; freegas; insurance; safety; topten
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To: JustRight
If Boston isn't on it, I don't believe it. You can get your butt kicked for Boston driving in the rest of the country.

From the article:

"Note: The Allstate data excludes cities in the state of Massachusetts, where Allstate Insurance Company does not offer insurance products."
Translation: Boston is so bad, Allstate refuses to sell insurance there. ;^)
41 posted on 06/07/2005 10:38:20 AM PDT by newgeezer (Drivers wanted. Automatics are for weenies.)
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To: newgeezer

Driving around Dallas ia a nightmare. If you go 10-15 over, you'll likely to get people trying to pass you on closing lanes and such.


42 posted on 06/07/2005 10:38:24 AM PDT by G32
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To: dirtboy

"I got rear-ended in Lakewood in 2001."

Oh Man.... I know this is off topic, but there's a Lakewood up here in the Cleveland area where that statement would have a whole different meaning!

Suffice it to say its kind of like the little San Francisco on Lake Erie.

Sorry...


43 posted on 06/07/2005 10:41:07 AM PDT by Pessimist
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To: Hi Heels
Glendale??? Go figure.

All I remember about Glendale is that the cemetery is a bona fide tourist attraction. :)

44 posted on 06/07/2005 10:44:28 AM PDT by newgeezer (Drivers wanted. Automatics are for weenies.)
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To: newgeezer

This data is close to useless because it is not normalized into the number accidents per mile driven. Instead, it is provided as the number of years between accidents. The problem is that those who live near big cities typically have much longer commutes and therefore will put on more miles per year - which increases their exposure and absolute probability of having an accident. The traffic density is also higher - which also increases the probability of accidents. In order to have a truly meaningful comparison, one must measure the number of accidents over an equivalent period of exposure (i.e., per mile driven).


45 posted on 06/07/2005 10:48:00 AM PDT by Zap Brannigan
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To: Mr. D
Last nite on the way home from work, I had a green arrow for a left turn, the driver coming the other way turned right and almost hit me!

Considering you had the arrow and he was turning right on red, he clearly should have yielded the right of way. But, if instead you both had the green light, and you each had a separate lane to turn into, if each of you had stayed in your own lane, it'd be no problem. But, I'm often amazed at how the right-turners in that situation seem to think they have the right to turn across both lanes.

46 posted on 06/07/2005 10:52:03 AM PDT by newgeezer (Drivers wanted. Automatics are for weenies.)
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To: newgeezer
Nashville, 23??????????? No way, I had two vehicles totaled in two years. One the other driver ran a red light, "T-boned" me and then backed up and took off. The second my car was parked and a woman got out of her car with the engine running and a kid in the car, the kid put the car in reverse and it hit my car.
47 posted on 06/07/2005 10:52:22 AM PDT by sticker
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To: newgeezer

They got one city correct as being the worse drivers, Philadelphia. They will literally run over pedestrians there. I know that for a fact.


48 posted on 06/07/2005 10:56:25 AM PDT by auggy (http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-DownhomeKY /// Check out My USA Photo album & Fat Files)
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To: Zap Brannigan
This data is close to useless because it is not normalized into the number accidents per mile driven.

To the extent that accident insurance rates take into account where you live and drive, the data are quite useful for the purpose of setting those rates. For that purpose, there is no need to normalize for miles driven.

49 posted on 06/07/2005 10:57:06 AM PDT by newgeezer (Drivers wanted. Automatics are for weenies.)
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To: newgeezer

That's true - it is useful from an insurance perspective. However, people incorrectly view these results as somehow being indicative of the skill and quality of drivers in various cities (see above posts).


50 posted on 06/07/2005 10:59:29 AM PDT by Zap Brannigan
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To: sticker
Nashville, 23??????????? No way, I had two vehicles totaled in two years.

For everyone in Nashville with a story like yours there are n drivers who'll say Nashville is a safe place to drive. It averages out. It's not in the actuaries' best interest to underestimate the likelihood of an accident. ;)

51 posted on 06/07/2005 11:02:44 AM PDT by newgeezer (Drivers wanted. Automatics are for weenies.)
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To: newgeezer
"Drivers across Iowa, Tennessee and Colorado shine as the nation's safest, as two cities from each state rank among the top 10 with the safest drivers, according to the report."

I wonder why they ignored the fact that Alabama has two cities in the to ten too? (Birmingham & Huntsville)

52 posted on 06/07/2005 11:07:48 AM PDT by blam
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To: RebelBanker

3 of top 4 in DC metro area.
Why? Drivers from all over the nation, all with different driving customs, meeting in bad weather on choked-up roads typical of the northeast.
When it snows in DC, the Michigan-, New York- and Massachusetts- born drivers are doing 95 MPH while the Texas- and Florida- born drivers are doing 15 MPH on the same supercongested highways, as they weave across 8 lanes of traffic to move from the left-side entrance ramp to the right-side exit ramp.
For instance, on the beltway, you have to merge left six times just to stay on the damned highway.


53 posted on 06/07/2005 11:09:53 AM PDT by dangus
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To: newgeezer

xactly. Nothin' there, particularly......


54 posted on 06/07/2005 11:10:26 AM PDT by Hi Heels (Guns kill and cause crime? Dang, mine must be malfunctioning....)
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To: blam

It's hard to wreck your car when there's no-one to crash into. Comparing a congestion-choked, 12-lane, snow-clogged megahighway with anything in Huntsville is just plain silly.
And, yes, I know there are interstates in Huntsville, but it just ain't the same thing.


55 posted on 06/07/2005 11:12:01 AM PDT by dangus
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To: Hi Heels

LOL. I don't live in Phoenix (although I once did) or in Philadelphia, so I don't care who wins.


56 posted on 06/07/2005 12:06:07 PM PDT by marvlus
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To: newgeezer

bttt


57 posted on 06/07/2005 12:08:33 PM PDT by ConservativeMan55 (DON'T FIRE UNTIL YOU SEE THE WHITES OF THE CURTAINS THEY ARE WEARING ON THEIR HEADS !)
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To: newgeezer

John Prine -- The Accident (Things Could be worse)

Last night I saw an accident
on the corner of Third and Green
two cars collided and I got excited
just being part of that scene

It was Mrs. Tom Walker and her beautiful daughter
Pamela, was driving the car
they got hit by a man in a light blue sedan
who had obviously been to a bar.

****

It was a four way dilemma
we all arrived the same time
I yielded to the man to the right of me
and he yielded it right back to mine
well, the yield went around and around and around
till Pamela finally tried
just then the man in the light blue sedan
hit Pamela's passenger side.

****

Pamela hit her head on the mirror
Mrs. Walker got a bump on the knee
the man hit himself in the face and said
"Why does this happen to me?"
the neighbors came out
and they gathered about
saying "Hey! who hit who anyway?"
and the police arrived at a quarter to five
and pronounced all the victims "Okay".


58 posted on 06/07/2005 12:18:25 PM PDT by atlaw
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To: martin_fierro
"...Jacksonville, FL. Some of the craziest driving I've ever seen occurred there."
Well, I'd say the same about Boston MA. There was a sign on NH border: "NH welcomes you. Please drive safely" - with someone spray-painting on it: "you are no longer in Boston".
59 posted on 06/07/2005 2:48:21 PM PDT by GSlob
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To: newgeezer

I'm surprised San Antonio is that safe. You routinely have to wait 5-10 seconds after your light turns green so that all the red-light-runners get through. I've never seen drivers as bad as San Antonio, and I've driven in Michigan, NC, DC, all around...


60 posted on 06/07/2005 3:29:42 PM PDT by MikeD (What if the family turned to Jesus/Stopped asking Oprah what to do)
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