Many out-of-towners who drive to New York infrequently would probably tell you that NYC has the most reckless and dangerous drivers that cause car accidents at every turn. However, they would be wrong, according to a recent article in Forbes magazine.
Forbes reports on a study conducted by Allstate Insurance Company in which the relatively small town of Fort Collins, Colorado, wins the prize as the city with the least reckless drivers. However, the city with the worst drivers is not NYC – it’s Washington, D.C. Residents of the capital city are 109.3 percent more likely to be involved in accidents. Second place went to Baltimore, Maryland, whose drivers are almost as bad as D.Cs.
And where does New York fall in this list? It doesn’t even make the top ten. New York City is 23rd on the list of the nation’s most dangerous drivers. And Chicago, notorious for its 10-lane highways and fast traffic, is only 45th on the list.
However, neither New York nor Chicago are at the top of the pile when it comes to big cities with safe drivers. Phoenix, Arizona, wins that prize, being the safest U.S. city with a population greater than one million.
The Forbes article offers some tips for safe driving in big cities that includes:
- Give yourself time to get to your destination
- Stay alert to changing traffic conditions
- Use your GPOS or ask for directions – don’t just drive around if you get lost
The Allstate study analyzed property damage claims from car accidents and other motor vehicle crashes from the country’s 200 largest cities over two years, from January 2010 to December 2011.