Allstate Names Sioux Falls, S.D., Number-One in Safe Drivers

Allstate Names Sioux Falls, S.D., Number-One in Safe Drivers
July 9, 2009

The Allstate Insurance Co. released its annual report of the nation's safest cities for driving this week, and, for the fourth consecutive year, ranked Sioux Falls, S.D., as top in this arena. Allstate reports that a driver in Sioux Falls is 26.1 percent less likely than the average U.S. to be involved in a collision, and averages a collision every 13.5 years.

Fort Collins, Colo., was just behind Sioux Falls, and Chattanooga, Tenn., came in third.

Two new cities also made the top 10-Eugene, Ore. (ranking 8), and Boise, Idaho (ranking 9).

Top Ten Cities

City & Overall Ranking	Collision Likelihood Compared to National Average	Average Years Between Collisions
1. Sioux Falls, S.D.	-26.1% less likely	13.5
2. Fort Collins, Colo.	-24.6% less likely	13.3
3. Chattanooga, Tenn.	-21.4% less likely	12.7
4. Cedar Rapids, Iowa	-20.7% less likely	12.6
5. Knoxville, Tenn.	-19.0% less likely	12.3
6. Fort Wayne, Ind.	-18.4% less likely	12.2
7. Lexington-Fayette, Ky.	-17.7% less likely	12.1
8. Eugene, Ore.	-16.3% less likely	11.9
9. Boise, Idaho	-15.4% less likely	11.8
10. Colorado Springs, Colo.	-15.0% less likely	11.8

Allstate also ranked the most-improved driving cities-with Alexandria, Va., topping the chart. Alexandria improved its average years between accidents by 1.8 years and moved from the 194 spot on the 2005 chart to 174 in 2009. Below is the full list of "most-improved."

Most-Improved Cities

City & Overall Ranking	2005 - 2009 Increase in Years Between Accidents
174. Alexandria, Va.	1.8
9. Lexington-Fayette, Ky.	1.7
177. Arlington, Texas	1.6
40. Hampton, Va.	1.3
101. Virginia Beach, Va.	1.3
65. Aurora, Colo.	1.2
57. Chesapeake, Va.	1.2
11. Reno, Nev.	1.2
31. Richmond, Va.	1.2
100. Shreveport, La.	1.0

The data used to create these reports was calculated by Allstate actuaries, who conduct analyses of the company's claims 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 also were analyzed over a two-year period (from January 2006 to December 2007) 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.

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