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Regional rivalries and bragging rights about driving skills are some of America's most passionate debates, right up there with which regional burger chain is the best. Some people insist that their state or city has savvy, stylish drivers, while neighboring states' drivers are higher-risk, lead-footed, and slow-witted.
Now we have official insurance company data to back it up. Anyone who wants to see how drivers in their city rank can check out the new Allstate survey of driving data from America's 100 largest cities. It shows which cities and regions have the safest (and riskiest) driving behaviors, based on actual anonymized data from Allstate customers.
Let's see which cities are riskiest for driving -- and why this new Allstate survey is an intriguing sign for the future of car insurance.
Top 10 riskiest cities from Allstate safe driving survey data
Allstate recently released its 2024 edition of Allstate's America's Best Drivers Report®, and for the first time, this survey used anonymized connected driving data from Arity, Allstate's partner for mobility data and analytics.
Allstate offers a special type of safe driver discount plan called Drivewise®. This is a type of telematics car insurance, or usage-based car insurance, where drivers can choose to share some driving data with Allstate, get feedback about their driving, and earn lower-cost car insurance based on safer driving behavior.
Here are the 10 riskiest-driving cities in America based on Allstate's survey of actual drivers' data.
1. Albuquerque, New Mexico (No. 100 out of 100 cities)
Albuquerque ranked dead last as America's most unsafe driving city. It also ranked 80th in "hard braking" (measured by how rapidly drivers hit the brakes), 65th in high-speed driving, and 87th in the amount of time drivers spent handling their phones.
2. Baton Rouge, Louisiana (No. 99 out of 100 cities)
Baton Rouge ranked second to last in the rankings of America's riskiest driving cities. It got a ranking of 83rd in hard braking, 50th in high-speed driving, and 96th in phone handling. (Baton Rouge drivers spend too much time distracted by phones, but at least they're not driving super fast?)
3. Murrieta/Temecula/Menifee, California (No. 98 out of 100 cities)
The metro area of Murrieta, Temecula, and Menifee, California is America's third-riskiest, least-safe city for driving. Drivers in this group of small cities combined for a 99th-place ranking in hard braking, 71st in high-speed driving, and 56th in time spent handling phones while driving.
4. Fresno, California (No. 97 out of 100 cities)
Fresno is another California city with a bad reputation for unsafe driving, according to Allstate's survey. It ranked 97th place overall, with a 98th-place ranking for hard braking, 53rd for high-speed driving, and 72nd for phone handling.
5. Stockton, California (No. 96 out of 100 cities)
Stockton continues California's leadership in risky driving, ranking in 96th place overall. This city's drivers earned 93rd place for hard braking, 84th for high-speed driving, and a less-risky, more-respectable 44th place for phone handling. Apparently, Stockton drivers aren't very good, but at least they're keeping their eyes on the road.
6. Birmingham, Alabama (No. 95 out of 100 cities)
Birmingham ranks as America's sixth-riskiest city for driving (95th place overall). It's 63rd in hard braking, 92nd in high-speed driving, and 65th in phone handling.
7. Memphis, Tennessee (No. 94 out of 100 cities)
The home of the Delta Blues and some of America's best barbecue ranks 94th overall for risky driving. Memphis drivers ranked 85th in hard braking, 72nd in high-speed driving, and 62nd in phone handling.
8. Denton, Texas (No. 93 out of 100 cities)
As a former resident of Texas, I've seen how Texans drive -- and I'm surprised more cities in the Lone Star state aren't on this list. Denton, a suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth, ranks 93rd overall in risky driving behaviors, with 78th place for hard braking, 82nd for high-speed driving, and 57th for phone handling.
9. Grand Rapids, Michigan (No. 92 out of 100 cities)
Michigan is known for having some of America's most expensive car insurance, and Grand Rapids drivers are showing why. The childhood home of U.S. President Gerald Ford ranks 92nd overall for risky driving, with rankings of 60th for hard braking, 88th for high-speed driving, and 66th for phone handling. (Apparently, people in Grand Rapids drive too fast, but also don't hit the brakes?)
10. Tucson, Arizona (No. 91 out of 100 cities)
The home of the University of Arizona is also home to some of the Grand Canyon State's riskiest driving, with a ranking of 91st out of 100 American cities. Tucson drivers rank 82nd in hard braking, 51st in high-speed driving, and 76th in time spent handling phones while driving.
America's safest city for driving: Honolulu, Hawaii
Want to know the safest city for driving behaviors? According to Allstate's survey, it's Honolulu, Hawaii. This city ranked No. 1 overall for safe driving, including No. 1 ranking for hard braking behavior, No. 1 in high-speed driving, and No. 18 for time spent handling phones at the wheel. There must be something about living in that beautiful, laid-back island atmosphere that inspires people to take their foot off the gas pedal.
Bottom line
Getting bragging rights over rival cities can be fun, but the new Allstate America's Best Drivers Report also shows why usage-based insurance like Allstate's Drivewise® can be a good idea.
With plans like Drivewise®, drivers can take control of their insurance costs and get rewarded for safer driving decisions. Less speeding, softer braking, and putting phones away while at the wheel could help make life safer (and make car insurance cheaper) for all of us.
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