The results come from a new study from insurance company Allstate, which has compiled its fifth annual ‘America's Most Improved Driving City report. The report ranks the 200 largest U.S. cities based on collision frequency
Among the most-improved cities were Alexandria, Virginia; Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky; and Arlington, Texas. Stereotypes do tend to hold at the top and bottom of Allstate's lists. Midwest and Middle American cities - many of them in regions with slippery winter-driving conditions - topped the list, while several New Jersey cities placed among the worst. The top-ten list held only one city, Eugene, Oregon, from a coastal state.
Phoenix stands out as especially safe among big cities, with a collision likelihood that's only 8.8% above the national average. In addition to Washington, D.C., several other big cities - Baltimore, Philadelphia, and San Francisco - had especially high chances of collision.
Allstate, which covers roughly 11.3% of U.S. drivers’ insurance policies, uses data from its claims to arrive at the results. To help reduce the chances of influences like weather or construction, Allstate looked at a period of two years from January 2006 to December 2007.
The top ten safest driving cities:
1. Sioux Falls, SD
2. Fort Collins, CO
3. Chattanooga, TN
4. Cedar Rapids, IA
5. Knoxville, TN
6. Fort Wayne, IN
7. Lexington-Fayette, KY
8. Eugene, OR
9. Boise, ID
10. Colorado Springs, CO
The ten riskiest driving cities:
1. Washington, D.C.
2. Baltimore, MD
3. Glendale, CA
4. Hartford, CT
5. Newark, NJ
6. Philadelphia, PA
7. Elizabeth, NJ
8. Providence, RI
9. San Francisco, CA
10. Los Angeles, CA
Via: TheCarConnection