Washington has the second worst drivers in the United States, according to an insurance study.
But the blame can’t be placed on Pierre L’Enfant’s 1791 city design. Across the Potomac, drivers don’t fare much better. Alexandria is America’s fourth worst driving city out of 197 surveyed while Arlington is fifth worst.
Baltimore had the 10th worst crash record.
“I can’t say it’s something in the water because we didn’t look at cause,” said Allstate spokeswoman Shaundra Turner. “Our goal is to improve the driving habits of people in those cities.”
Allstate Insurance researchers analyzed two years of internal crash data to calculate the chance that drivers in 197 of the nation’s most populated cities would be involved in an accident.
In the nation’s capital, each motorist has an average of one accident every 5.1 years, or 97.3 percent worst than the national rate of one every 10 years, according to researchers.
Alexandria’s drivers get in an accident every 5.7 years; in Arlington, it’s every six years.
The worst drivers live in Newark, N.J., where a motorist can expect to get in an accident once every five years.
The best drivers? Sioux Falls, S.D., where a driver gets in a crash once every 14.3 years.
Researchers studied about 2 million damage claims defined as any collision resulting in property damage filed between January 2003 and December 2004. That’s a broad enough period to limit the influence of external factors such as weather and road construction, researchers said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fast facts
» Top five best driving cities: Sioux Falls, S.D.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Huntsville, Ala.; and Chattanooga, Tenn.
» Rest of the worst driving cities: Elizabeth, N.J., (third worst); Glendale, Calif., (sixth); Jersey City, N.J. (seventh); Paterson, N.J. (eighth); and San Francisco, Calif., (ninth).
» Tips: Make sure intersection is clear before driving through; stay off cell phone; use turn signals; don’t speed; and keep maintenance of brakes, tires, exhaust system, batteries and wipers.
