Which Cities Have the Worst Drivers?

In an age of increasingly distracted drivers, it's getting ever more hazardous to ply America's urban roads. The eighth annual “America’s Best Drivers Report,” issued by Allstate Insurance, explores exactly which cities are the most dangerous.

1 minute read

August 29, 2012, 1:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Whether explained by its large number of non-native residents or, perhaps, its confusing system of roads planned long before the advent of the horseless carriage, Washington D.C. has the dubious distinction of being home to America's most dangerous drivers. 

According to Jim Gorzelany, "Allstate studied the auto insurance claims frequency of America's 200
largest cities and found that residents of our nation's capitol were
found to get into collisions on average once every 4.7 years. This means
they're a whopping 112.1 percent more likely to be party to an accident
than the typical driver in the U.S., who wrecks his or her car once
every 10 years."

"Taken on a state-wide basis, California would seem to have the worst
drivers overall, placing five cities among the top 25, including
Glendale (5), San Francisco (10), Los Angeles (14), Fullerton (16) and
Torrence (22). New Jersey came in a close second with four cities among
the top 25, with Florida and Virginia tied for third with three cities
each."

"Meanwhile, the safest drivers can be found trolling the streets of Sioux
Falls, South Dakota, where the average motorist experiences a collision
only once every 13.8 years, which is 27.6 percent less likely than the
national average. Other top-five safest cities include (in order):
Boise, ID; Fort Collins, CO; Madison, WI and Lincoln, NE."

 

Tuesday, August 28, 2012 in Forbes

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