Allstate awards cities free gas for safe driving records

For the second straight year, an insurance study has found that Sioux Falls, S.D. has the safest drivers in the nation.

Researchers with Allstate Insurance Co. analyzed two years of internal crash data to calculate the chance that drivers in 200 of the nation’s most populated cities would be involved in an accident.

Allstate, which claims a 12 percent market share of the nation’s auto insurance policies, found that Sioux Falls motorists average an accident once every 13.7 years, 27 percent better than the national rate of one every 10 years.

The city’s rate rose slightly from last year’s average of once accident every 14.3 years. Officials in Sioux Falls attributed the ranking to strong traffic engineering and driver education programs.

Following Sioux Falls on the list were Fort Collins, Colo.; Flint, Mich.; Warren, Mich.; Huntsville, Ala.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Chatta-nooga, Tenn.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Milwaukee, Wis.; and Des Moines, Iowa.

Allstate gave away free gas in Warren and Sioux Falls to reward residents for their rankings.

Allstate added a “most-improved” category for this year’s study and cities in Michigan dominated the Top 5.

Drivers in Flint, Mich., added 3.6 years to their time between accidents, followed by Warren, 3.2; Grand Rapids, 2.8; Detroit, 2.7; and Sterling Heights, 2.3.

Warren Police Chief Jere Green said Michigan has made significant engineering improvements during the past five years such as green arrows for left turns and slowdown lanes for right turns. Cities also make use of turnarounds or “Michigan lefts,” which, like the New Jersey jug handle, prevents drivers from turning left off a divided highway.

Warren has stepped up its enforcement with a dedicated traffic squad of eight motorcycle officers and four radar officers, Green said. “Enforcement equals compliance, and the result of that is fewer accidents when people comply with the speed limits and things of that nature,” he said.

A graduated license system which forces drivers under 18 to spend their first six months behind the wheel with a parent or guardian in the car has also improved safety, Green added.

Motorists in Newark, N.J., were most at risk, according to the study, averaging an accident once every 5.2 years. Washington was second-to-last at 5.3 years.

Drivers in Milwaukee are likely to experience a crash once every 12.7 years, the best among cities with between 500,000 and 1 million people. Phoenix ranks the highest for safety among cities of more than 1 million with a collision likely once every 9.8 years.

Researchers studied about 2 million damage claims defined as any collision resulting in property damage filed between January 2004 and December 2005. That’s a broad enough period to limit the influence of external factors such as weather and road construction, researchers said. A weighted average of the two-year numbers determined the annual percentages.

The goal of the annual study is to jump-start a national discussion about the factors that contribute to safe driving.