Brownsville Remains Texas' Safest Driving City

IRVING, Texas, Aug. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Brownsville drivers are among the best in the country. The Allstate Insurance Company (NYSE: ALL) today released its ninth annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report®." The report, based on Allstate claims data, lists America's 200 largest citiesⁱ  in terms of car collision frequency to identify which cities have the safest drivers.

In the 2013 report, Brownsville is the safest driving city in Texas and ranks fourth when compared to cities across the country, a 21-spot improvement from when last year's report was issued. According to the report, the average driver in Brownsville will experience an auto collision every 12.7 years.

"Drivers in Brownsville are making great progress toward keeping America's roadways safer," said Rick Ortiz, an Allstate agency owner in Brownsville. "We salute Brownsville's best drivers and recognize their safe driving skills, which make all of our communities safer places to live, work and raise families."

The Allstate America's Best Driver's Report was created to facilitate an ongoing dialogue on safe driving that saves lives. This year's top honor of "America's Safest Driving City" is Fort Collins, Colorado, the third year the city has held the top spot in the report's nine-year history.

Below is a look at how other cities in Texas finished. 

Be a Safe Driver:

• Stay alert. Be prepared to frequently stop or slow down for pedestrians, emergency vehicles, delivery trucks, parking cars, and public transportation vehicles such as city buses.
• Allow plenty of time to reach your destination. Stop-and-go traffic, gridlock, traffic signal stops, pedestrian walkways and events that create detours can add time to your travel.
• Know the rules of the road. Suburban streets may have fewer streetlights and signs, or greater distance between lights and signs. This means darker conditions when driving at night and less opportunity to be reminded of speed limits and other road rules throughout the day.
• Keep a safe distance – especially around large vehicles. Keep a safe distance between your vehicle and others, and know that truck drivers might have limited visibility. If you attempt to pass a truck, make sure you have plenty of time and space to maneuver safely.

The Report
For the past nine years, Allstate actuaries have conducted an in-depth analysis of company claim data to determine the likelihood drivers in America's 200 largest cities will experience a vehicle collision compared to the national average. Internal property damage reported claims were analyzed over a two-year period (from January 2010 to December 2011) 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 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.

To view the complete "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report," or to see previous year's results, log onto www.allstatenewsroom.com.

About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, serving approximately 16 million households through its Allstate, Encompass, Esurance and Answer Financial brand names and Allstate Financial business segment. Allstate branded insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services are offered through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives, as well as via www.allstate.com, www.allstate.com/financial and 1-800 Allstate^®, and are widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate^®." As part of Allstate's commitment to strengthen local communities, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate employees, agency owners and the corporation provided $29 million in 2012 to thousands of nonprofit organizations and important causes across the United States.

ⁱ The report analyzes cities from the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places over 50,000, ranked as of July 1, 2012. The Allstate data excludes cities in the state of Massachusetts, due to limited data available in Massachusetts for the two-year time period reflected in this report. Due to its technical non-city classification, Arlington, Va. is not included in the current U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Estimates of the top 200 populous cities; however it is included in this report for consistency purposes from prior years when the Census Bureau had provided those estimates for Arlington. The towns Simi Valley, Calif. and Elizabeth, N.J. from last year's report are no longer on this year's report (fell off the top 200 in population). The town of Frisco, Texas was not present in last year's report but made it onto this year's list due to increased population. The Allstate 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. A state specific adjustment was utilized for the Michigan cities to account for the unique coverage offered in that state.

Four cities were combined with neighboring cities because they share most or all of the same zip codes. This affects West Valley City, Utah, Miramar, Fla., Pembroke Pines, Fla. and Lakewood, Colo., which were not represented in earlier versions of the report. For the 2013 report, these cities are represented in the reported (with combined population and population rank) as the following: Salt Lake City & West Valley City, Utah; Denver & Lakewood, Colo.; and Hollywood & Pembroke Pines & Miramar, Fla.

SOURCE The Allstate Corporation