For the second straight year, an
insurance study has found that Sioux Falls, South Dakota has the safest drivers in the
nation.
Researchers with Allstate Insurance Co. analyzed two years of internal
crash data to calculate the chance that drivers in 200 of the nation’s
most populated cities would be involved in an accident.
Allstate, which claims a 12 percent market share of the nation’s auto
insurance policies, found that Sioux Falls motorists average an accident
once every 13.7 years, 27 percent better than the national rate of one
every 10 years.
The city’s rate rose slightly from last year’s average of once accident
every 14.3 years.
Officials in Sioux Falls attributed the ranking to strong traffic
engineering and driver education programs.
Following Sioux Falls on the list were Fort Collins; Flint,
Mich.; Warren, Mich.; Huntsville, Ala.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Chattanooga,
Tenn.; Colorado Springs; Milwaukee, Wis.; and Des Moines, Iowa.
Motorists in Newark, N.J., were most at risk, according to the study,
averaging an accident once every 5.2 years. Washington, D.C., was
second-to-last at 5.3 years.
Drivers in Milwaukee, ranked 22nd in population, are likely to
experience a crash once every 12.7 years, the best among cities with
between 500,000 and 1 million people. Phoenix ranks the highest for
safety among cities with more than 1 million people with a collision
likely once every 9.8 years.
Boston, Worcester and Springfield in Massachusetts were not included as
the company does not write policies in the state.
Allstate added a “most-improved” category for this year’s study and
cities in Michigan dominated the Top 5.
Drivers in Flint, Mich., added 3.6 years to their time between
accidents, followed by Warren, 3.2; Grand Rapids, 2.8; Detroit, 2.7; and
Sterling Heights, 2.3.
Warren Police Chief Jere Green said Michigan has made significant
engineering improvements during the past five years such as green arrows
for left turns and slowdown lanes for right turns.
Cities in the state also make use of turnarounds or “Michigan lefts,”
which, like the New Jersey jug handle, prevents drivers from turning left
off a divided highway.
Warren has also stepped up its enforcement with a dedicated traffic
squad of eight motorcycle officers and four radar officers, Green said.
“Enforcement equals compliance, and the result of that is fewer
accidents when people comply with the speed limits and things of that
nature,” he said. “That’s just common sense.” A graduated license system
which forces drivers under 18 to spend their first six months behind the
wheel with a parent or guardian in the car has also improved safety,
Green added.
“You don’t just a get a driver’s license and you get to go, and I think
that makes a big difference in driver safety as well,” he said.
Allstate planned to give away free gas at a Warren, Mich., station
Thursday morning and a Sioux Falls station Thursday afternoon to reward
residents for their rankings.
Researchers studied about 2 million damage claims defined as any
collision resulting in property damage filed between January 2004 and
December 2005. That’s a broad enough period to limit the influence of
external factors such as weather and road construction, researchers said.
A weighted average of the two-year numbers determined the annual
percentages.
“That’s why we do a two-year average, thinking that construction is a
season, typically,” said Michael Roche, Allstate’s senior vice president
of claims. “And so that over two years we expects those results from a
statistical basis to be sound.” Roche said the goal of the annual study
is to jump-start a national discussion about the factors that contribute
to safe driving.
“It’s really our hope that after having safe driving discussions, cities
will continue to show improvement in the coming years,” he said.
