Allstate Report Says It is Safe to Drive in Cedar Rapids; Study Looks at Other Cities

Residents of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, rank as the safest drivers in the U.S. according to the Allstate Insurance Company’s inaugural “America’s Best Drivers Report.”

The first-of-its kind ranking of U.S. cities with populations 100,000-plus, revealed that the average driver in the central Iowa city will experience an auto collision every 15 years, compared to the national likelihood of a crash every 10 years – making them 33.28 percent less likely to have an accident than the national average.

Allstate researchers analyzed internal data to determine the likelihood drivers in America’s largest 196 cities would experience an auto collision compared to the national average.

“As one of the country’s largest insurers, Allstate is uniquely positioned to present this significant report,” said Daryll Fletcher, vice president in charge of data and research at Allstate. “This wealth of data enables Allstate to salute America’s best drivers and recognize their safe driving skills, which make all of our communities safer places to live, work and raise families.”

Cedar Rapids city officials were reportedly not shocked that the city ranked high on the list.

“With the majority of crashes occurring within five miles of the home, it’s reassuring that our residents are the safest,” said Paul Pate, Cedar Rapids’ mayor. “The quality of our community’s driver education programs combined with the consideration of our Traffic Engineering department goes a long way to make our roadways safe for everyone. We thought we’d make the list, but we never realized we’d be No. 1 in the country.”

The Top 10

Drivers across Iowa, Tennessee and Colorado shine as the nation’s safest, as two cities from each state rank among the top 10 with the safest drivers, according to the report.

Rank/City Collision Likelihood Average Years
Compared to Between
National Average Collisions—————————————————————–
1. Cedar Rapids, Iowa 33.3% less likely 15
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2. Sioux Falls, S.D. 27.4% less likely 13.8
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3. Chattanooga, Tenn. 27.2% less likely 13.7
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4. Huntsville, Ala. 23.8% less likely 13.1
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5. Knoxville, Tenn. 23.8% less likely 13.1
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6. Des Moines, Iowa 21.5% less likely 12.7
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7. Topeka, Kan. 20.6% less likely 12.6
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8. Lakewood, Colo. 19.7% less likely 12.4
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9. Fort Collins, Colo. 19.4% less likely 12.4
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10. Birmingham, Ala. 19.3% less likely 12.4
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“What makes this report from Allstate valuable is that it is based on real world collision data from actual drivers,” said Allan Williams, the recently retired chief scientist and researcher at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “Also, Allstate’s auto policies represent about 12 percent of the U.S. population, making this report a realistic snapshot of what’s happening on America’s roadways.”

Additional “Road” Scholars

Drivers in U.S. cities with populations of one million-plus are more likely than the national average to experience a collision. Phoenix, the top-ranked city in this category, mirrors the national collision average of one accident every 10 years.

Rank/City Collision Likelihood Average Years
Compared to Between
National Average Collisions—————————————————————–
64. Phoenix 0.4% more likely 10
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111. San Diego 10.3% more likely 9.1
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121. Houston 28.6% more likely 7.8
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167. San Antonio 28.9% more likely 7.8
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169. New York City 30.3% more likely 7.7
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173. Chicago 35.2% more likely 7.4
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177. Los Angeles 38.3% more likely 7.2
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180. Dallas 39.3% more likely 7.2
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182. Philadelphia 46.2% more likely 6.8
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According to the report, Milwaukee drivers will experience a collision approximately every 11.5 years and rank as the safest of the metros with populations between 500,000 and one million residents.

Rank/City Collision Likelihood Average Years
Compared to Between
National Average Collisions
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17. Milwaukee 13% less likely 11.5
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18. Memphis, Tenn. 12.7% less likely 11.5
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23. Nashville, Tenn. 12.1% less likely 11.4
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47. El Paso, Texas 5.3% less likely 10.6
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52. Oklahoma City 3.4% less likely 10.4
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53. Tucson, Ariz. 2.8% less likely 10.3
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60. Indianapolis 1% less likely 10.1
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72. Denver 2.2% more likely 9.8
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86. Jacksonville, Fla. 4.6% more likely 9.6
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97. Portland, Ore. 8% more likely 9.3
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Secrets to Safety

“Many factors contribute to how cities rank in the report,” said Williams. “Some factors – demographic makeup, commuting patterns and city design – cannot be changed; others, like smart traffic engineering and strong law enforcement initiatives, can help to prevent crashes in metropolitan areas.”

Cedar Rapids is taking a serious and proactive approach to roadway improvements and law enforcement, city safety commissioner and police officer Dave Zahn said.

“Our traffic engineers work hand-in-hand with the community members to minimize traffic congestion and collision frequency,” Zahn said. “For example, we recently expanded a 15 block strip of Mt. Vernon Road, one of our busier streets, from four lanes to five. Since its completion, collisions are down 66 percent on that stretch of road.”

Zahn also pointed to Cedar Rapid’s courteous driving style as a reason for the city’s top ranking. He outlined lessons that all drivers could learn from Cedar Rapids residents.

— Signs mean something – Traffic signs are here to help us. “Yield, stop and school zone speed limits are meant to be followed, not ignored,” Zahn said.

— Respect sirens – “Pull over to the side of the road when you see emergency vehicles,” Zahn said. “I always tell people ‘You never know. You may be the one in the back of that ambulance some day.'”

— Yellow really does mean caution – “Slow down – don’t speed up – when approaching a yellow light,” Zahn stressed.

— Speeding gets you nowhere fast – “Exceeding the speed limit won’t get you to your destination any faster,” Zahn said. “The few minutes you save you’ll lose sitting at the next red light anyway.”

— Courtesy matters on the road, too – “Treat those you share the road with the same as you would your friends, family and co-workers,” commented Zahn.

The Math Behind the Rankings

To create the report, Allstate researchers analyzed internal property damage claims over a two-year period (from January, 2002 to December, 2003) to ensure the findings would not be impacted by external influences such as weather or road construction. A weighted average of the two-year numbers determined the annual percentages. The report defines an auto crash as any collision resulting in property damage.

Crashes Happen

In all, Allstate policyholders in the largest 196 U.S. cities were involved in more than 2.2 million crashes over the 24-month period measured in the report. Nationwide, U.S. drivers experienced more than 8.7 million collisions during the same two-year period, statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed.

According to insurance.com, more crashes occur on Saturdays than any other day of the week. Friday ranked second and Thursday came in third. Collisions are least likely to occur on Sundays. Collisions are most likely to happen between 3 and 6 p.m. From 6 and 9 p.m. ranked second and 9 p.m. – midnight finished third. The fewest crashes occur between midnight and 3 a.m.

For the complete listing of all U.S. cities with 100,000-plus residents ranked in the Allstate report, log onto www.allstate.com.