Surprise: Los Angeles does not rank as safest in driving report
The city of Los Angeles, not known for its good drivers, placed a distant eighth among cities with more than 1 million drivers in the "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report."
However, the more gentle folk tooling around Sioux Falls, S.D., are reveling in their superiority as safe drivers as they top the list for the fourth consecutive year. Also, Eugene, Ore., and Boise, Idaho, have broken into the national top 10.
So how are these places so different from L.A.? Dare we guess that their less-stressful lifestyle and the resulting lack of traffic jams in these charming, Willoughby-esque towns may give them a huge advantage in this contest of 'niceness' and aid in the resulting lack of collisions reported by the Allstate actuaries?
The rankings are based on in-depth analysis to determine the likelihood that drivers in America's 200 largest cities will experience a vehicle collision compared with the national average. 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.
Nationwide city and overall rankings ...
1. Sioux Falls, S.D.
2. Fort Collins, Colo.
3. Chattanooga, Tenn.
4. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
5. Knoxville, Tenn.
6. Fort Wayne, Ind.
7. Lexington-Fayette, Ky.
8. Eugene, Ore.
9. Boise, Idaho
10. Colorado Springs, Colo
Ranking for cities with more than 1 million residents...
1. Phoenix
2. San Diego
3. New York
4. Houston
5. San Antonio
6. Chicago
7. Dallas
8. Los Angeles
9. Philadelphia
But let's not forget "most improved." The Allstate folks narrowed down the most-improved ranking for lack of collisions over a two-year period in the metro Los Angeles area only, and there are some interesting results. Regardless of population, Pomona topped the most-improved ranking in metro Los Angeles, improving the average time between accidents by 0.2 of a year, capturing the 41st spot, as compared with 115th in 2005.
City and overall ranking (2005 rank)
1) Pomona -- ranking: 41 (was 115)
2) Palmdale -- ranking: 44 (was 92)
3) San Bernardino -- ranking: 54 (was 112)
4) Huntington Beach -- ranking: 62 (was 81)
What can we do to compete in this ongoing race for improved driving attributes? Allstate offers the following tips that I think we Angelenos should take to heart. Not to make excuses for our bad behavior, but some of the suggestions may be more difficult than others to remedy:
No. 1 driving tip: Minimize distractions. Engaging in any other activity while driving -- talking on your cellphone, text messaging, changing a radio station, putting on makeup -- is a distraction.
Our challenge: This is L.A. We have distractions. Car time is cellphone time and cellphones are not only phones, they are also e-mails, movies, GPS systems, restaurant locaters, etc. Plus, we know we're going to be sitting in traffic, so we have to have something to do. One of the biggest temptations we face in L.A. traffic is the downtime we experience when we're inching forward for hours. In this situation, we tend to bring activities to amuse ourselves.
No. 2 driving tip: Be aware of road conditions. Ice, snow, fog, rain -- all of these weather conditions require extra caution and slower speeds.
Our challenge: This is the one advantage we have in L.A. weather. Well, until it rains, then we fall apart. Fortunately that's a rare occasion, right?
No. 3 driving tip: Leave a safe distance between your car and others around you. Maintain at least one car length of space between your car and the vehicle in front of you for every 10 miles per hour of speed.
Our challenge: OK, we in the greater L.A. area know that if we leave a lot of space, people will fill it -- and not in a nice way either. This instruction will take a lot of work on our part.
No. 4 driving tip: Steer clear of road rage. Reduce stress on the road by allowing plenty of time for travel, planning your route in advance and altering your schedule or route to avoid congested roads. Remember not to challenge aggressive drivers, and stay as far away from them as possible.
Our challenge: I think we invented road rage in L.A. This is problematic, because our traffic conditions seem to get us in the right mood for rage when someone finally pushes us over the emotional edge. No doubt we need work on this one.
No. 5 driving tip: Maintenance matters. Ultimately, safety also depends on the maintenance of one's car. Ensure that brakes, exhaust system, tires, lights, battery and hoses are in good working order.
Our challenge: This is good advice, and here's wishing everyone could heed it. The reality, however, is that in a major metro area such as ours where public transportation is at a minimum, folks who can barely afford to buy a car, along with the required insurance, can hardly afford regular maintenance on their clunker.
-- Joni Gray
Photo of L.A. freeway accident aftermath. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times
It is no surprise that LA is one of the cities with such poor drivers. The traffic alone combined with poor road conditions lead to the accidents that happen everyday.
Posted by: Jimee | July 09, 2009 at 08:53 AM
You can ride the bus, train or carpool if you need to use your phone, put on makeup, play with your music source, text or check email while driving. There are pedestrians and bicyclist on the roads too and hitting them with your car has particularly tragic and extreme consequences in many instances. I am completely road rage free and don't need to deal with car maintenance by being car-free!
Posted by: asd | July 09, 2009 at 09:16 AM
This is yet another one of these idiotic surveys run by a company whose own reputation is called into question with every lawsuit they lose.
If you want good drivers you start with good driver's ed. REAL WORLD driver's ed, not this "drive around the block, use your turn signal, and we'll give you the right to drive a three ton SUV on any American road". You can't even get onto the German autobahns until you're 18 and have had two year's worth of training and practice.
The current American system is basically learn as you go, and that does not bode well for safety. After all, you wouldn't want a doctor operating on you who was learning along the way.
Posted by: Another insurance joke | July 09, 2009 at 05:31 PM
I'm not surprised since we put in a lot of miles every day. What does surprise me is how many people I see talking on their cell phone and not using a hands free system. That was a short honeymoon.
Posted by: Andy | July 09, 2009 at 08:22 PM
Considering that a large percentage of LA-area drivers learned how to drive in backward countries like Guatemala and Mexico which lack the U.S.'s long emphasis on highway safety and inculcation of good driving skills, no wonder Southern California ranks so poorly. It is clear that many immigrants are lousy drivers whose cars are unsafe, poorly maintained junk heaps.
Posted by: Otto Mobillier | July 09, 2009 at 09:22 PM
@Otto Mobillier
Having driven in both of the "backward" countries you mention, I can say with confidence that driving skills are no worse there than they are here. Given that so few immigrants drive, and that the ones that do usually opt for cars that are cheap, small, slow and safe, it always amazes my how people try to justify their racism with lies about how the "other" causes all of society's problems. The only thing that is clear is that you don't know what you are talking about.
Posted by: Paul | July 09, 2009 at 11:11 PM
L.A. has bad drivers? Go take a drive in cairo, egypt then tell me how bad it is here.
Considering the nasty transportation system here, I think we have some of the best drivers in the world... when they're not texting.
Posted by: THOMAS46 | July 10, 2009 at 06:48 AM
Remove the outrageously aggressive drivers and we will rank number one in safety. Civility will return to the streets where now it's rare to go 5 minutes without seeing someone flip the bird. Can you say "unsafe lane change"? Turn signal? What's that?
Posted by: Greg | July 10, 2009 at 06:55 AM
Don't forget Unemployment, Bad Economy, Medical Infrastructure collapse, War in Iraq/Afghanistan, Global Warming, Me being too Fat, My wife left me and took the kids, my DUI. Lets see what else can I blame these immigrants for? Kind of like the Nazi’s did with the Jews.
Adolescents main cause of death is care accidents. Immaturity, Inexperience. Unsafe, aggressive driving, and DUI.
Posted by: @Otto Mobillier | July 10, 2009 at 07:33 AM