• 17
  • September
    2010

Over the past year, drivers in Huntsville have succeeded in sharply reducing the incidence of car accidents. According to a recent nationwide study of auto accidents by Allstate Insurance Co., Huntsville drivers are the 8th safest among those living in the largest 200 U.S. cities -- and we ranked number 1 in Alabama.

The study, Allstate's six annual America's Best Drivers Report, ranks cities by the frequency of car accidents. Huntsville ranked 16th safest in the nation last year, which was already pretty good. This year's jump to 8th is terrific news.

"Drivers in Huntsville are making great progress toward keeping America's roadways safer," says Allstate regional spokesman John Heid in a news release. "We salute Huntsville's best drivers and recognize their safe driving skills, which make all of our communities safer places to live, work and raise families."

Allstate Report Created to Encourage Discussions About Improving Driver Safety

According to a recent story in The Huntsville Times, Allstate created the America's Best Drivers Report as a way of encouraging cities and drivers to talk about safe driving and how to prevent injuries and deaths caused by car accidents.

Allstate's news release touts the fact that the number of car wrecks has been declining in general over the past few years. There is still a lot of work to do, however.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that around 35,000 people are killed in car accidents every year despite advancements in safety technology.

"Human error is the biggest cause of accidents," says Heid. "It is vital for us to educate drivers across the country on the importance of being tolerant and attentive behind the wheel."

That means continuing to cut down on dangerous driving behaviors such as talking on cell phones or texting while driving, driver distraction, speeding and, of course, drunk driving.

It also means building on good behaviors like having every driver and passenger wear seat belts, even in pickup trucks, where many people have resisted wearing them.

Average Huntsville Driver Will Be in a Car Accident Every 12.2 Years

Allstate's report is conducted by actuaries who perform an in-depth analysis of car accident claims information. Based on that information, they calculate how often a typical driver in each of the largest 200 U.S. cities is likely to be in a car crash.

The average driver in Huntsville is likely to be in a car or truck accident once every 12.2 years, which is an improvement over the 2008 average of 11.3 years between accidents.

Also included in the study were Birmingham, Mobile and Montgomery. Of those three Alabama cities, Birmingham drivers did the best, with an average of one accident every 11.3 years. Drivers in Mobile averaged 11.2 years between accidents, and Montgomery drivers had a wreck about once every 11 years.

The safest drivers in America are in Fort Collins, Colorado, according to the study. The average Fort Collins driver will only get into a car accident about once every 14.5 years.

Source:

"Study finds Huntsville drivers among the safest in the country" (The Huntsville Times, September 14, 2010)