Allstate reveals safest cities for drivers

For the first time ever, Brownsville, Texas, is the safest-driving city on Allstate's 12th annual America's Best Drivers Report.The report serves as an important safe-driving reminder as motorists prepare to hit the roads for the July Fourth holiday – which the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found is the deadliest day of the year on average for drivers.

Based on Allstate Insurance Company claims data, the 2016 report measures vehicle collision frequency in America's 200 largest cities to determine which cities have the safest drivers. The average driver in Brownsville, Texas, experiences an auto collision every 14.6 years, which is 31.4 percent less often than the national average of every 10 years.

"With millions of drivers expected to hit the roads nationwide during the July Fourth weekend, our report demonstrates the importance of always putting safety first," said Glenn Shapiro, executive vice president of claims, Allstate. "The Best Drivers Report spotlights America's safest cities as we continue to heighten awareness around increasing roadway collisions that have unfortunate consequences, such as rising fatalities and potentially higher insurance costs."

National safety experts say drivers are now spending more time on the road and suffering more fatal collisions than recent years. The U.S. Department of Transportation says that from March 2015 to February 2016 Americans drove 3.15 trillion miles, an increase of more than 3 percent over the previous 12 months and the largest year-to-year increase in over two decades. According to the National Safety Council, more than 38,000 roadway fatalities occurred last year, the highest count since 2008.

Preventable human factors, like drunk, distracted or drowsy driving; speeding; and failure to use safety features contribute to 94 percent of car crashes. IIHS says intoxication is a significant factor in Fourth of July crash fatalities, with 42 percent between 2010 and 2014 involving at least one driver with a blood-alcohol concentration over the legal driving limit of .08^v.

"While July Fourth is consistently the deadliest day on the road, the toll of crash deaths goes on every day, all year long," said Adrian Lund, president, IIHS. "If everyone buckles up, avoids distractions, obeys the speed limit and doesn't drink and drive, we can make July Fourth and every day on the road a lot safer."

Each year, Allstate commends the cities that have the safest drivers on the report. The following are the top 10 safest driving cities, according to Allstate's 2016 America's Best Drivers Report:

Visit www.allstate.com/BestDriversReport for an interactive map showing this year's findings and for historical collision-frequency rankings from the past 11 years.

Allstate's America's Best Drivers Report is the result of an in-depth examination 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. This year, Allstate actuaries analyzed property damage claims reported during the two-year period of January 2013 to December 2014. A weighted average of the two-year numbers determines the annual percentages.

The report defines a collision as any auto crash 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.

For the second straight year, the report also provides insight into braking habits in more than 100 cities across the country, using hard-braking data culled from Allstate's Drivewise offering, an innovative technology that enables consumers to monitor their driving habits to improve safety and gain rewards on their insurance.

A hard-braking event is defined as slowing down 8 mph or more over a one-second period. 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 19 hard-braking events for every 1,000 miles driven. The following are the cities with drivers who experience the fewest hard-braking events per 1,000 miles driven:

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 of collisions. 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 traditional collision-frequency rankings and hard-braking information, Allstate's 2016 report also shows how the largest 200 cities rank, when factoring in two other challenges drivers face – population density and precipitation:

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.

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 longer 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.

For more safe-driving tips, visit The Allstate Blog.