Insurer Ranks Cities with the Safest Drivers

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This year’s top honor of “America’s Safest Driving City” is Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the average driver will experience an auto collision every 13.8 years, which is 27.6 percent less likely than the national average of 10 years.

The Allstate Insurance Co. today released its eighth annual “Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report.” The report, based on Allstate claims data, ranks America’s 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency to identify which cities have the safest drivers.

This is the fifth time in the eight-year history of the report that Sioux Falls has held the top overall spot.

Phoenix, San Diego and San Antonio topped the list among cities with population more than one million.

Indianapolis, Tucson and Lincoln, Neb. also fared well in their population categories.

Internal property damage reported claims were analyzed over a two-year period (from January 2009 to December 2010) to ensure the findings would not be impacted by external influences such as weather or road construction.

Massachusetts cities are not included because the insurer did not write business in the state in those years.

A weighted average of the two-year numbers determined the annual percentages. The report defines an auto crash as any collision resulting in a property damage claim. Allstate’s auto policies represent about 10 percent of all U.S. auto policies, making this report a realistic snapshot of what’s happening on America’s roadways.

For the fifth time in the report’s eight-year history, Sioux Falls was revealed as the safest driving city. The top ten cities are:

City & Overall Ranking	Collision Likelihood Compared to National Average	Average Years Between Collisions
1. Sioux Falls, S.D.	27.6% less likely	13.8
2. Boise, Idaho	27.3% less likely	13.8
3. Fort Collins, Colo.	26.7% less likely	13.6
4. Madison, Wisc.	23.0% less likely	13.0
5. Lincoln, Neb.	19.3% less likely	12.4
6. Huntsville, Ala.	19.1% less likely	12.4
7. Chandler, Ariz.	18.9% less likely	12.3
8. Reno, Nev.	18.4% less likely	12.3
9. Knoxville, Tenn.	18.1% less likely	12.2
10. Springfield, Mo.	17.4% less likely	12.1

Additional “Road” Scholars

For the eighth year in a row, motorists in Phoenix topped the list among commuters in American cities with more than one million people. Rankings among these cities:

City & Overall Ranking	Collision Likelihood Compared to National Average	Average Years Between Collisions
53. Phoenix, Ariz.	1.6% less likely	10.2
124. San Diego, Calif.	14.0% more likely	8.8
141 San Antonio, Texas	20.4% more likely	8.3
152. Chicago, Ill.	25.9% more likely	7.9
153. Houston, Texas	25.9% more likely	7.9
167. Dallas, Texas	32.8% more likely	7.5
176. New York, N.Y.	41.1% more likely	7.1
182. Los Angeles, Calif.	48.5% more likely	6.7
190. Philadelphia, Pa.	64.1% more likely	6.1