NORTHBROOK, Ill., Sept. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Kansas City,
Kansas tops the chart for the
first time ever as the safest driving city in America according to
the eleventh annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report®." The
report, based on Allstate Insurance Company claims data, ranks
America's 200 largest cities[i] in terms of car collision frequency
to identify which cities have the safest drivers. The report
underscores Allstate's commitment to keeping roadways safer.
Kansas City, Kansas, is
recognized as the safest driving city in America with the average
driver experiencing an auto collision every 13.3 years, which is
24.8 percent less likely than the national average of every 10
years.
"By providing this information annually, Allstate and our agency
owners across the country strive to bring drivers and communities
together to talk about driving safety and consider solutions to
keep our roads safer," said Jim
Ledder, vice president of auto claims, Allstate. "By
spotlighting the cities with strong driver safety records and
spreading the word about practical steps drivers can take, we're
continuing to help protect people from life's uncertainties and
prepare them for a more secure future."
Recently, the National Safety Council estimated the
U.S. is on track for its deadliest driving year since 2007.[ii] For
the first six months of 2015, NSC reported traffic deaths are up 14
percent from a year ago, and serious injuries are 30 percent higher
over the same period. While there are many factors that impact
highway safety, an improving economy and lower gas prices have led
to an increase in the number of miles being driven. The Federal
Highway Administration's latest Traffic Volume Trend Report says
cumulative travel for 2015 is up by 3.5 percent.[iii] The June
report is based on hourly traffic count data reported by the
states, using data collected at approximately 4,000 continuous
traffic counting locations nationwide.
The top ten cities according to the Allstate America's Best
Drivers Report:
11th
Annual Allstate America's Best Drivers Report® Top 10 Safest
Cities
|
City & Overall
Ranking
|
Collision Likelihood
Compared to National Average
|
Average Years Between
Collisions
|
1. Kansas City,
Kan.
|
24.8% less
likely
|
13.3
|
2. Brownsville,
Texas
|
24.6% less
likely
|
13.3
|
3. Boise,
Idaho
|
23.5% less
likely
|
13.1
|
4. Fort Collins,
Colo.
|
21.1% less
likely
|
12.7
|
5. Cape Coral,
Fla.
|
21.0% less
likely
|
12.7
|
6. Madison,
Wis.
|
18.2% less
likely
|
12.2
|
7. Cedar Rapids,
Iowa
|
15.1% less
likely
|
11.8
|
8. Laredo,
Texas
|
14.7% less
likely
|
11.7
|
9. Huntsville,
Ala.
|
14.7% less
likely
|
11.7
|
10. Cary,
N.C.
|
13.8% less
likely
|
11.6
|
Allstate visually depicts the report in an interactive map found
at www.allstate.com/BestDriversReport. The map features the
America's Best Drivers Report with historical collision frequency
rankings from the past 11 years in an interactive format.
New this year, the report provides information about a notable
factor in collisions – braking habits -- in approximately 100
cities nationally. Allstate pulled data from its Drivewise®
offering, an innovative technology that allows consumers to monitor
their driving habits to improve safety and gain rewards on their
insurance, to determine braking trends. A hard braking event is
defined as slowing down eight miles per hour or more over a
one-second time interval.
Allstate found a correlation between hard braking and collision
frequency. Cities with higher collision frequency also recorded
more hard braking events. Nationally, on average, a driver will
experience 16 hard braking events for every 1,000 miles driven.
Here are the cities with drivers who experience the least amount of
hard braking events per 1,000 miles driven:
Drivewise® Hard
Braking Events
(Cities' drivers with the least events per 1,000
miles)
|
Des Moines,
Iowa
|
6.8
|
Madison,
Wis.
|
8.1
|
Wichita,
Kan.
|
9.4
|
Milwaukee,
Wis.
|
10.3
|
Chesapeake,
Va.
|
11.1
|
Overland Park,
Kan.
|
11.3
|
Vancouver,
Wash.
|
11.9
|
Omaha,
Neb.
|
11.9
|
Minneapolis,
Minn.
|
12.4
|
Hampton,
Va.
|
12.6
|
Driving tips for cities with high braking
activity:
- Leave room between you and other vehicles. Hard braking
collisions can occur when drivers are following other cars too
closely, causing a rear-end collision. Try to avoid rear-end
collisions by leaving more space and time to react to other
vehicles' actions.
- Minimize distractions while driving. Distracted driving
is one of the main causes for collisions.[iv] Common driving
distractions include eating, grooming, talking on a cell phone or
texting, interacting with other passengers, adjusting navigation
devices and playing loud music.
In addition to the traditional collision frequency rankings, two
unique rankings among the top 200 largest cities are featured in
the 2015 report. These location factor rankings include population
density and precipitation, and show how some cities' rankings can
change when taking these challenging roadway conditions into
consideration.
Cities with Top
Rankings When
Factoring in Population Density
|
1. Boise,
Idaho
|
2. Fort Collins,
Colo.
|
3. Madison,
Wis.
|
4. Brownsville,
Texas
|
5. Laredo,
Texas
|
6. Cary,
N.C.
|
7. Kansas City,
Kan.
|
8. Cape Coral,
Fla.
|
9. Milwaukee,
Wis.
|
10. Louisville,
Ken.
|
Driving tips for densely populated cities:
- Allow plenty of time to reach your destination.
Stop-and-go traffic, gridlock, traffic signal stops, pedestrian
walkways and events that create traffic detours can add time to
your travel.
- Stay alert. Be prepared to frequently stop or slow down
for pedestrians, emergency vehicles, delivery trucks, parking cars,
taxi cabs, and public transportation vehicles such as city
buses.
Cities with Top
Rankings When
Factoring in Precipitation
|
1. Kansas City,
Kan.
|
2. Cape Coral,
Fla.
|
3. Brownsville,
Texas
|
4. Boise,
Idaho
|
5. Madison,
Wis.
|
6. Huntsville,
Ala.
|
7. Fort Collins,
Colo.
|
8. Port Saint Lucie,
Fla.
|
9. Cary,
N.C.
|
10. Montgomery,
Ala.
|
Driving tips for cities with high levels of
precipitation:
- Be aware of road conditions. Ice, snow, fog, rain - all
of these weather conditions require extra caution and slower
speeds. Stopping safely in rain and snow takes greater lengths of
roadway than in dry conditions.
- Maintain your vehicle to prepare for extreme weather.
Headlights and brake lights are critical in low visibility
situations – be sure they are consistently maintained along with
other critical car functions such as brakes and windshield
wipers.
The Allstate America's Best Drivers Report®
For the past 11 years, Allstate actuaries have conducted an
in-depth analysis of company claims data to determine the
likelihood drivers in America's 200 largest cities will experience
a vehicle collision compared to the national average. Reported
property damage claims were analyzed over a two-year period (from
January 2012 to December 2013).
A weighted average of the two-year numbers determines the annual
percentages. The report defines an auto crash as any collision
resulting in a property damage claim. Allstate's auto policies
represent nearly 10 percent of all U.S. auto policies, making this
report a realistic snapshot of what's happening on America's
roadways.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
an estimated 32,675 car crash fatalities occurred in 2014.
Additionally, Allstate research found that 70 percent of vehicles
involved in auto claims are considered drivable, which indicates
that most claims are the result of low-speed (under 35 miles per
hour) collisions. Allstate utilizes the America's Best Drivers
Report to remind drivers to stay vigilant behind the wheel and
protect themselves from challenging driving conditions.
About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest
publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting approximately 16
million households from life's uncertainties through auto, home,
life and other insurance offered through its Allstate, Esurance,
Encompass and Answer Financial brand names. Allstate is widely
known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With
Allstate®." The Allstate brand's network of small
businesses offers auto, home, life and retirement products and
services to customers in the United
States and Canada. In the
20 years since Allstate became a fully independent public company,
The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners
have donated more than $405 million
to support local communities.
[i] The Allstate America's Best Drivers Report®
tabulates property damage collision frequency of Allstate insured
drivers from 2012-2013.The report analyzes the 200 largest cities
from the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Estimates of the Population
for Incorporated Places over 50,000, measured for 2013 as of
July 1, 2014. In prior years,
neighboring cities that shared zip codes also shared rankings. This
only impacted a minimal number of cities; however, in 2014 and
2015, the report used geolocation to increase accuracy and there
are no longer shared rankings. U.S. Census Bureau data was used to
obtain the population density factor. For the precipitation factor,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data was
utilized. Allstate Drivewise® data is based on Allstate customers
voluntarily enrolled in the telematics program from
2010-2014. A number of cities from the full 200 Best Drivers
rankings are excluded in the Drivewise data due to the limited
measurable data available, or because Drivewise was not available
(California, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas). The Allstate Best Drivers Report is
produced solely to boost the country's discussion about safe
driving and to increase awareness of the importance of being safe
and attentive behind the wheel. The report is not used to determine
auto insurance rates.
[ii] National Safety Council,
http://www.nsc.org/Measure/Pages/safety-management-research-statistical-services.aspx
[iii] Traffic Volume Trends (US DOT – Federal
Highway Administration, Office of Highway Policy Information):
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/travel_monitoring/tvt.cfm
[iv] National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, www.distraction.gov
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