Allstate Unveils the 2018 America's Best Drivers Report® and Enlists Youth to Help Make Roads Safer

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Brownsville, Texas, regains top spot as safest driving city in America as company taps young internet star to advocate that "Good Driving Starts Young"

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Aug 29, 2018, 00:05 ET

NORTHBROOK, Ill., Aug. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The 14th annual Allstate America's Best Drivers Report^®, released today, named Brownsville, Texas, the city with America's safest drivers.ⁱ Based on Allstate claims data, the report aims to shine a spotlight on safe driving leading up to the busy Labor Day travel weekend – a particularly deadly time of year on the road, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Infographic - America's Best Drivers Report: Top 10 Safest Driving Cities

Released each year, the America's Best Drivers Report ranks the 200 largest cities in America based on collision frequency. To celebrate the top-ranking cities and encourage them to serve as examples for communities around the country, this year's report taps an unexpected group to spread the message of safe driving: youth and teens, many of whom can't even drive yet.

"Our backseat passengers are the drivers of tomorrow, and they're looking to the adults in their lives to model safe driving behaviors," said Ken Rosen, Allstate chief claims officer. "We truly care about making our communities safer, so we made an effort to go beyond just lecturing on the dangers of distracted and unsafe driving. To do this, we brought together inspirational youth, teens and their families in two low-ranking cities to stress the importance of roadway safety. By convening communities from coast to coast, we hope our influential future drivers and leaders can help Allstate make a positive impact on lives across America."

Keeping America's roads safe is a cause especially important to young people, for whom car crashes are a leading cause of death. Whether as passengers or drivers, auto collisions are the No. 1 killer of every single age from 16 to 23, as well as age 10.ⁱⁱ In an effort to educate communities on this issue, this year Allstate lent a hand to bottom-ranked Baltimore (ranked 200th) and Los Angeles (ranked 194th). Enlisting the help of young internet star Mila Stauffer, the company premiered a humorous, yet educational "Good Driving Starts Young" video at the events, held Aug. 28. The short video rallied the communities behind the importance of safe driving with 3-year-old Stauffer providing candid commentary on a series of unsafe – though unfortunately common – driving scenarios.

The average driver in America will experience a collision approximately once every 10 years, according to Allstate claims data. In top-ranked Brownsville, that figure improves by about 26 percent to once every 13.6 years. The following are the top 10 safest-driving cities, according to this year's Allstate America's Best Drivers Report:

City & Overall Ranking	Average Years Between Collisions (National Average: 10)	Collision Likelihood Compared to National Average
1. Brownsville, TX	13.6	26.3% less likely
2. Kansas City, KS	13.1	23.8% less likely
3. Boise, ID	12.2	17.8% less likely
4. Huntsville, AL	11.9	16.1% less likely
5. Madison, WI	11.8	15.4% less likely
6. Laredo, TX	11.7	14.4% less likely
7. Midland, TX	11.7	14.2% less likely
8. Cape Coral, FL	11.6	14.1% less likely
9. Fort Collins, CO	11.6	14.0% less likely
10. McAllen, TX	11.5	13.4% less likely

Other highlights from the 2018 report include Miami as the most improved driving city, jumping 37 spots on the report, and Spokane, Washington, dropping 37 spots from last year's rankings after a 12-spot drop the year before.

For the fourth straight year, the Allstate America's Best Drivers Report also analyzed the correlation between collisions and hard-braking events in more than 100 cities, using data collected by Drivewise^®, Allstate's innovative telematics program that personalizes the auto insurance experience by providing real-time driving feedback and then rewarding safe driving with cash.

A hard-braking event is defined as slowing down eight miles per hour or more over a one-second period and can indicate unsafe driving behaviors, such as following too closely or aggressive or distracted driving. According to Drivewise data, the average American driver will experience approximately 19 hard-braking events for every 1,000 miles driven. Drivers in cities with fewer hard-braking events per 1,000 miles tend to have fewer auto property damage claims.

Drivers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, amassed the most hard-braking events of any city in America, with an average of 42 events per 1,000 miles. The next closest city – Bridgeport, Connecticut – came in significantly lower at 34.8 hard-braking events per 1,000 miles.

The 2018 Best Drivers Report found drivers in the following cities experience the fewest hard-braking events per 1,000 miles:

Cities with the Fewest Hard-Braking Events per 1,000 Miles
Sioux Falls, SD	12.9
Madison, WI	13.1
Anchorage, AK	13.3
Spokane, WA	13.6
Des Moines, IA	14.1

Visit Allstate.com/BestDriversReport for an interactive map and full results for this year, as well as previous years' reports.

Understanding the risks that can cause crashes and impact a city's rank and drivers' safety is critical. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, preventable human factors, like drunk, distracted and drowsy driving, speeding and failure to use safety features contribute to 94 percent of car crashes.^ⁱⁱⁱ

"Traffic deaths are especially high during the busy summer travel season," IIHS President Dr. David Harkey said. "We hope this year's Best Drivers Report encourages more people to buckle up, slow down and minimize distractions to reduce their risks when they're traveling over the holiday and all year round."

Allstate recommends the following tips as you travel America's roads. By collectively taking these precautions, drivers can help keep themselves and their communities in good hands, whether on busy highways or neighborhood streets:

Always keep your eyes on the road, stay vigilant and keep potential distractions securely tucked away.
Obey the speed limit and give yourself enough time to safely get where you're going.
Fasten your safety belt on every trip – and make sure each passenger is buckled up, too.
Never drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
Leave plenty of distance between you and the vehicles in front of you.
Don't text and drive. Nothing is that important.
Be sure to have an emergency roadside safety kit with caution signs and flares, and have a roadside service lined up for when you need a tow. Allstate Roadside Assistance provides options for coverage whether you're in need now, want to add it to your auto policy or you're interested in roadside membership.

For more safe-driving tips and information, visit The Allstate Blog.

Allstate hosted bi-coastal events in bottom-ranked driving cities empowering youth to advocate for safe driving. See event photos featuring talent here.

ⁱThe Allstate America's Best Drivers Report^® is the result of an in-depth examination of company claims data, to determine the likelihood drivers in America's 200 largest cities will experience a vehicle collision compared to the national average. According to Allstate claims data, the average driver in the U.S will experience one collision every 10 years. This year, Allstate researchers analyzed property damage claims reported during the two-year period of January 2015 to December 2016. The report uses U.S. Census Bureau data to determine America's 200 largest cities and defines a collision as any auto crash resulting in a property damage claim. Hard-braking data is based on customers voluntarily enrolled in Allstate's Drivewise^® telematics program from 2015-2016. A number of cities, and their surrounding suburbs, in the full 200 Best Drivers' rankings are excluded from hard-braking analysis due to limited measurable Drivewise data, or because Drivewise was not available (California, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas). Allstate's auto policies represent nearly 10 percent of all U.S. auto policies, making this report a realistic snapshot of what's happening on America's roadways. The Allstate America's Best Drivers Report is produced solely to boost the country's discussion about safe driving and to increase awareness of the importance of being safe and attentive behind the wheel. The report is not used to determine auto insurance rates.

ⁱⁱSingh, S. (2015, February). Critical reasons for crashes investigated in the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey. (Traffic Safety Facts Crash Stats. Report No. DOT HS 812 115). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812115

ⁱⁱⁱNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. DOT Announces Steep Increase in Roadway Deaths Based on 2015 Early Estimates and Convenes First Regional Summit to Drive Traffic Safety Behavior Changes

SOURCE Allstate