While the 13th annual Allstate America's Best Drivers Report is ostensibly focused on the “four-wheeler” side of the U.S. motoring public, there’s key information within it for truckers as well.
For starters, these are the 10 safest-driving cities, according to this year's report – a designation that translates into driving environments where collisions are less likely to occur when compared to the U.S. national average:
|
City & Overall Ranking |
Average Years Between Collisions (National Average: 10) |
Collision Likelihood National Average |
|
1. Kansas City, Kansas |
14.9 |
32.8% less likely |
|
2. Brownsville, Texas |
14.5 |
30.9% less likely |
|
3. Madison, Wisconsin |
12.5 |
19.9% less likely |
|
4. Huntsville, Alabama |
12.4 |
19.4% less likely |
|
5. Cape Coral, Florida |
12.2 |
18.1% less likely |
|
6. Boise, Idaho |
12 |
16.9% less likely |
|
7. Laredo, Texas |
12 |
16.8% less likely |
|
8. Port St. Lucie, Florida |
12 |
16.7% less likely |
|
9. McAllen, Texas |
11.8 |
15.2% less likely |
|
10. Olathe, Kansas |
11.8 |
15.1% less likely |
For the third straight year, the Allstate also analyzed the “correlation” between collisions and hard-braking events in more than 100 cities, using data collected by its driver monitoring technology package called Drivewise, which is offered as an option for motorists to install in their vehicles in return for potentially lower insurance premiums.
Allstate defines a “hard-braking” event as slowing down eight miles per hour or more over a one-second period.
According to its Drivewise data, nationally, the average American driver will experience approximately 19 hard-braking events for every 1,000 miles driven.
Yet Allstate also found that drivers in cities with fewer hard-braking events per 1,000 miles also tend to have fewer auto property damage claims. Here are the cities where Allstate’s data indicated there are the fewest hard-braking events per 1,000 miles:
|
Cities with the Fewest Hard-Braking Events per 1,000 Miles |
|
|
Kansas City, KS |
9.9 |
|
Madison, WI |
9.9 |
|
Mobile, AL |
11.9 |
|
Wichita, KS |
12.0 |
|
Anchorage, AK |
12.1 |
Understanding the risks that can cause crashes and impact a city's rank and drivers' safety is critical, noted Glenn Shapiro, Allstate's executive vice president of claims
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), preventable human factors, like drunk, distracted and drowsy driving, speeding and failure to use safety features, contribute to 94% of car crashes.
On top of that, the Fourth of July holiday is now the perennial deadliest day on the road for U.S. drivers, according to information compiled the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) data.
The group added that July and August are the deadliest months on U.S. roadways, with each averaging 116 deaths per day.
"With the improving economy and more driving, we're unfortunately seeing more crashes and more crash deaths," said IIHS President Adrian Lund in a statement. "Summer travel for vacations and recreation is often riskier than the daily commute. We hope this year's Best Drivers Report encourages more people to buckle up, watch their speeds, avoid distractions and stay off the roads after drinking alcohol."
