A recent report suggests that drivers in Seattle could probably use a refresher course on safe driving practices. According to Allstate Insurance Company, Seattle drivers are 27 percent more likely that those in other large U.S. cities to get into a car accident. In fact, of the country’s 200 largest cities, when it comes to the risk of getting into an auto collision Seattle drivers ranked 154th.
In other bad news, it appears that Seattle drivers are getting worse rather than better. In 2011, the Allstate report put Seattle in 147th place. And our friends in Spokane must be quite a bit more alert behind the wheel, because they are in 43rd place this year.
To compile this report, Allstate looked at its claims data and then ranked large cities by the frequency of car crashes. Allstate represents about 10 percent of all U.S. auto policies.
Here in Seattle, drivers are averaging one car accident every 7.9 years. This is up from once every 8 years in 2011 and once every 8.3 years in 2009.
In Spokane, drivers can count on getting into an accident only once every 10.5 years. The national average is one collision per every 10 years.
Just why Seattle’s drivers are slipping in terms of safety remains unclear. The Allstate report arrived just before Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn announced a campaign to completely eliminate traffic fatalities by 2030.
In order to combat fatal car crashes, the mayor said the city will ramp up education efforts and the enforcement of traffic laws. New traffic cameras will also be installed around schools as a part of the $500,000 effort.
Source: Seattle PI, “Report: Seattle drivers are accident-prone,” Scott Gutierrez, Aug. 29, 2012
Source: Seattle Times, “McGinn’s traffic goal: no deaths or serious crash injuries by 2030,” Lynn Thompson, Aug. 29, 2012