Kansas City, Kan., is at the top of the list for safest driving cities in the United States, according to Allstate Insurance.
The company issued a news release today stating that the average driver in Kansas City, Kan., will have a collision every 13.3 years, compared to the national average where drivers experience a collision every 10 years.
Brownsville, Texas, was No. 2 on the list of safest driving cities, followed by Boise, Idaho, Fort Collins, Colo., and Cape Coral, Fla.
Wichita, Kan., was ranked No. 11, Olathe was No. 14 and Overland Park, No. 32, on the list.
Kansas City, Kan., ranks seventh when population density and first when precipitation is considered, the report stated.
“As a trusted adviser to Allstate customers in Kansas City we’re sharing these report results to help them become safer drivers,” said Jason Park, Allstate agency owner in Kansas City, Kan. “While Kansas City ranks highly on the report, slowing down, leaving room between you and other drivers, and minimizing distractions are tips for Kansas City’s drivers to always remember to remain safe while on the road.”
Recently, the National Safety Council estimated the U.S. is on track for its deadliest driving year since 2007, according to the report.
For the first six months of 2015, NSC reported that nationally, traffic deaths are up 14 percent from a year ago, and serious injuries are 30 percent higher over the same period. While there are many factors that affect highway safety, an improving economy and lower gas prices have led to an increase in the number of miles being driven.
The Federal Highway Administration’s latest Traffic Volume Trend Report says cumulative travel for 2015 is up by 3.5 percent. The June report is based on hourly traffic count data reported by the states, using data collected at approximately 4,000 continuous traffic counting locations nationwide.
Allstate visually depicts the report in an interactive map found at www.allstate.com/BestDriversReport. The map features the America’s Best Drivers Report with historical collision frequency rankings from the past 11 years in an interactive format.
New this year, the report provides information about a notable factor in collisions – braking habits — in approximately 100 cities nationally. Allstate pulled data from its Drivewise® offering, an innovative technology that allows consumers to monitor their driving habits to improve safety and gain discounts on their insurance, to determine braking trends. A hard braking event is defined as slowing down eight miles per hour or more over a one-second time interval.
Allstate found a correlation between hard braking and collision frequency. Cities with higher collision frequency also recorded more hard braking events. Nationally, on average, a driver will experience 16 hard braking events for every 1,000 miles driven.
Cities in Kansas with larger numbers of hard-braking events included Wichita, Olathe and Overland Park.
Driving tips for cities with high braking activity:
• Leave room between you and other vehicles. Hard braking collisions often occur when drivers are following each other too closely causing rear-end collisions. Try to avoid rear-end collisions by leaving more space and time to react to other vehicles’ actions.
• Minimize distractions while driving. Distracted driving is one of the main causes for collisions.iv Common driving distractions include eating, grooming, talking on a cell phone or texting, interacting with other passengers, adjusting navigation devices and playing loud music.
In addition to the traditional collision frequency rankings, two unique rankings among the top 200 largest cities are featured in the 2015 report. These location factor rankings include population density and precipitation, and show how some cities’ rankings can change when taking these challenging roadway conditions into consideration.
Kansas City, Kan., tops the list for densely populated cities in Kansas, followed by Wichita, Olathe and Overland Park.
Driving tips for densely populated cities:
• Allow plenty of time to reach your destination. Stop-and-go traffic, gridlock, traffic signal stops, pedestrian walkways and events that create traffic detours can add time to your travel.
• Stay alert. Be prepared to frequently stop or slow down for pedestrians, emergency vehicles, delivery trucks, parking cars, taxi cabs, and public transportation vehicles such as city buses.
Kansas City, Kan., is at the top of the list for rankings in Kansas when factoring in precipitation, followed by Wichita, Olathe and Overland Park.
Driving tips for cities with high levels of precipitation:
• Be aware of road conditions. Ice, snow, fog, rain – all of these weather conditions require extra caution and slower speeds. Stopping safely in rain and snow takes greater lengths of roadway than in dry conditions.
• Maintain your vehicle to prepare for extreme weather. Headlights and brake lights are critical in low visibility situations – be sure they are consistently maintained along with other critical car functions such as brakes and windshield wipers.