15th Annual Allstate America's Best Drivers Report® Ranks U.S. Cities with the Safest Drivers

NORTHBROOK, Ill., June 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Brownsville, Texas, has the safest drivers in America for the second year in a row, according to the 2019 Allstate America's Best Drivers Report^®.ⁱ Released in advance of July Fourth, the deadliest day on U.S. roadsⁱⁱ according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the 15th annual report aims to start a national dialogue around the critical issue of roadway safety, celebrating the top-ranked cities' drivers as an example for other communities.

The America's Best Drivers Report ranks the 200 largest U.S. cities by collision frequency based on Allstate claims data to determine which have the safest drivers. For the first time, Allstate also tapped into its claims data to uncover the "Risky Roads" with the most collisions in the bottom 15 cities to help those drivers be extra vigilant, while also advocating for infrastructure improvements.

"The goal of the America's Best Drivers Report is to make our roads safer and ultimately save lives," said Ken Rosen, Allstate's Chief Claims Officer. "Each of us needs to ask how we can do our part in our day-to-day lives and for our communities. And beyond that, this country needs to come together to address pressing safety issues, such as rebuilding our roadway infrastructure to reduce risky conditions on America's roads."

These are the 15 safest driving cities in America:

To mark the report's 15th anniversary, Allstate for the first time studied its collision claim counts for streets in the 15 bottom-ranked cities to determine which roads Allstate data reveals to have more crashes. Encouraging drivers to take extra caution traversing these "Risky Roads," the addition also urges Americans to advocate for roadway safety issues having to do with infrastructure, distractions and traffic flow.ⁱⁱⁱ

Each year, Allstate and industry resource IIHS partner to urge all drivers to be especially safe leading up to July Fourth.

"Whether it's a holiday trip or a routine drive to work, safety should always be along for the ride," said IIHS president Dr. David Harkey. "The best drivers buckle up on every trip, obey the speed limit and never drive while impaired or distracted. If everyone followed these rules, we would have fewer crashes, injuries and deaths every day of the year."

From taking a stand on mandatory seat belts in the 1960s to advocating for air bags to be standard in all vehicles in the 1970s, Allstate has a history of leading the charge to make the country's roads safer. Since the first America's Best Drivers Report in 2005, Allstate has continued to tackle this vital community issue:

• X the TXT^® (2009): A national Allstate movement to raise awareness of the dangers of texting while driving. In its 10th year, the program has resulted in millions of families and individuals pledging to put their phones down while behind the wheel.
• Graduated Driver Licensing Law (GDL) (2009) & Save 11^® (2010): Allstate led the push for national GDL legislation to save an average of 11 teen lives per day from car crashes. The goal of reducing teen crashes was achieved by 2012, and work continues on state-level GDL advocacy.
• Drivewise^® (2010): Allstate launched its innovative telematics program to provide real-time driving feedback and reward safe driving, and the company was the first to offer telematics on a mobile platform when the Drivewise app was introduced in 2014. Drivewise rewards are based on proven indicators of safe driving, including braking, speed, time of day and, in some states, mileage ? the safer you drive, the more you can earn.

The America's Best Drivers Report has evolved over the past 15 years, including standardizing cities' rankings when accounting for population density and average annual precipitation, and using Drivewise telematics data to analyze the correlation between hard braking and collisions. During that time, there have been many notable developments nationally and locally:

• Safer roads: U.S. car collisions have decreased overall despite increases in 2015 and 2016.^iv
• Holding steady: The average driver in top-ranked cities still gets in a collision about once every 15 years.
• Winners circle: Only five cities have earned the No. 1 spot, and all are west of the Mississippi River: Cedar Rapids, Iowa (2005), Sioux Falls, South Dakota (2006-09, 2012), Fort Collins, Colorado (2010-11, 2013-14), Brownsville, Texas (2016, 2018-19), and Kansas City, Kansas (2015, 2017).
• Coast-to-coast: Generally, top-ranked cities are less densely populated and in the Western U.S., while many bottom-ranked ones were established earlier in U.S. history, which often means they have older infrastructure.
• Trending: With the highest city population, New York is on an upward trend, from 173rd in 2005 to 111th this year, and the 2019 No. 1 safest driving city, Brownsville, Texas, also achieved major improvements after ranking 49th in 2005.

Understanding the risks that can cause crashes and impact city drivers' safety is critical. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, preventable human factors, like drunk, distracted and drowsy driving, speeding and failure to use safety features, contribute to 94% of crashes.^v The Allstate Blog has tips to help keep drivers and their communities safe:

• Always keep your eyes on the road, stay vigilant and minimize distractions like cellphones.
• Obey the speed limit and give yourself enough time to safely get where you're going.
• Ensure everyone in the vehicle is buckled up on every trip.
• Never drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
• Leave plenty of distance between you and other vehicles, including changing lanes when vehicles are stopped on the side of the road. The faster you're going, the more room you need to stop safely.
• Be sure to have an emergency roadside safety kit with caution signs and flares, and have a roadside service lined up for when you need a tow. Allstate Roadside Assistance provides options for coverage whether you're in need now, want to add it to your auto policy or you're interested in roadside membership.

Check out the newly redesigned Allstate.com/BestDriversReport for an interactive map and full results for this year, as well as historical data. To join the community safe-driving conversation, like and follow the Good Driving Starts Young Facebook page.

ⁱ The Allstate America's Best Drivers Report^® is the result of an in-depth examination of company auto claims data to determine the likelihood that drivers in America's 200 most populous cities will experience a vehicle collision compared to the national average. According to Allstate claims data, the average driver in the U.S. will experience a collision once every 10.57 years. This year, Allstate researchers analyzed property damage claims reported during the two-year period of January 2016 to December 2017. The report defines a collision as any auto crash resulting in a property damage claim and uses U.S. Census Bureau data to determine America's 200 largest cities. Hard-braking data is based on customers voluntarily enrolled in Allstate's Drivewise^® telematics program in 2016-2017. Some cities and their surrounding suburbs in the full 200 Best Drivers rankings are excluded from hard-braking analysis due to limited measurable Drivewise data or because Drivewise was not available (California, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas). Allstate's auto policies represent approximately 10% of all U.S. auto policies, making this report a realistic snapshot of what's happening on America's roadways. The Allstate America's 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.

Allstate found a correlation between hard braking and collision frequency. Drivers in cities with fewer hard-braking events per 1,000 miles tend to have fewer property damage claims. Nationally, the average American driver will experience approximately 19 hard-braking events for every 1,000 miles driven.

ⁱⁱ Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Fatality Facts 2017, https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/yearly-snapshot

ⁱⁱⁱ "Risky Roads" were determined by analyzing Allstate auto collision claim data related to driving in traffic with other motorists on roads within city limits during the two-year period of January 2016 to December 2017. Roads outside of the bottom 15 ranked cities in the 2019 Allstate America's Best Drivers Report were not analyzed. 

^iv National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2018

^v National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. DOT Announces Steep Increase in Roadway Deaths Based on 2015 Early Estimates and Convenes First Regional Summit to Drive Traffic Safety Behavior Changes 

SOURCE Allstate