Insurers frequently take into account the general safety record of an area in which a prospective customer lives when calculating car insurance costs.
Given that fact, the release of Allstate’s sixth annual report on the relative safety records of America’s 200 largest cities could provide a rare insight for consumers looking to get car insurance.
The safest city in America for drivers, according to Allstate’s data, was Fort Collins, Colorado. That city’s drivers were found to be just over 31.2 percent less likely than the national average to get into an accident over the two-year period that
was studied. Fort Collins’ Mayor, Doug Hutchinson, said “becoming America’s safest driving city takes quality roads and infrastructure. But more than anything else, it’s the result of individuals taking responsibility for keeping our streets safe.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Washington, D.C. was found to have the worst record of frequent crashes in the study. Residents of the nation’s capital got into car accidents at nearly twice the national average rate, Allstate said. Baltimore took a distant second place in this category, with car accidents occurring roughly 80 percent more frequently than the average.
Allstate encouraged drivers across the country to practice safe driving habits, making sure to be aware of their surroundings and the other drivers on the road at all times, and avoiding the use of personal electronic devices while behind the wheel.
Numerous studies have found that the use of cell phones and similar items while driving can drastically increase a motorist’s odds of getting into an accident, mostly by diverting their attention from the road.