Denver Ranks 117th Among 200 Cities in Allstate's Annual America's Best Drivers Report®

DENVER, July 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Allstate Insurance Company today released its 12^th annual America's Best Drivers Report^®, and Denver ranked 117^th safest among America's 200 largest citiesⁱ in terms of collision frequency. The report underscores Allstate's commitment to safety, especially as motorists prepare to hit the roads for the July Fourth holiday – the deadliest day of the year for drivers, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Allstate's report found the average driver in Denver will experience an auto collision every 8.9 years, compared to the national average of every 10 years.

This year Brownsville, Texas, claimed the overall top spot for the first time in the report's 12-year history. The average Brownsville driver experiences an auto collision every 14.6 years, which is 31.4 percent less likely than the national average.

"As Colorado drivers look forward to celebrating the holiday weekend, the results of our report are an important reminder to put safety first while on the road," said Mitch Wettstein, Allstate agency owner in Colorado. "We encourage motorists in Colorado to continue practicing safe-driving skills that can help reduce roadway collisions, which may have unfortunate consequences, such as tragic fatalities and potentially higher insurance costs."

National safety experts say drivers are now spending more time on the road and suffering more fatal collisions than recent years. The U.S. Department of Transportation says that from March 2015 to February 2016 Americans drove 3.15 trillion miles, an increase of more than 3 percent over the previous 12 months and the largest year-to-year increase in over two decades.ⁱⁱ According to the National Safety Council, more than 38,000 roadway fatalities occurred last year, the highest count since 2008ⁱⁱⁱ.

Preventable human factors, like drunk, distracted or drowsy driving; speeding; and failure to use safety features contribute to 94 percent of car crashes.^iv IIHS says intoxication is a significant factor in Fourth of July crash fatalities, with 42 percent between 2010 and 2014 involving at least one driver with a blood-alcohol concentration over the legal driving limit of .08^v.

Allstate created its America's Best Drivers Report to facilitate an ongoing dialogue about safe driving, to help save lives.

Visit www.allstate.com/BestDriversReport for an interactive map of complete results for this year and for historical collision-frequency rankings from the past 12 years.

Allstate's report is the result of an in-depth examination of company claims data, to determine the likelihood drivers in America's 200 largest cities will experience a vehicle collision compared to the national average. This year, Allstate actuaries analyzed property damage claims reported during the two-year period of January 2013 to December 2014. A weighted average of the two-year numbers determines the annual percentages.

The report defines a collision as any auto crash resulting in a property damage claim. Allstate's auto policies represent nearly 10 percent of all U.S. auto policies, making this report a realistic snapshot of what's happening on America's roadways.

For the second straight year, the report also provides insight into braking habits in more than 100 cities across the country, using hard-braking data culled from Allstate's Drivewise^® offering, an innovative technology that enables consumers to monitor their driving habits to improve safety and gain rewards on their insurance.

About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting approximately 16 million households from life's uncertainties through auto, home, life and other insurance offered through its Allstate, Esurance, Encompass and Answer Financial brand names. Now celebrating its 85th anniversary as an insurer, Allstate is widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate^®." The Allstate brand's network of small businesses offers auto, home, life and retirement products and services to customers in the United States and Canada. In 2015, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $36 million to support local communities. Allstate employees and agency owners donated 230,000 hours of service across the country.

ⁱ The Allstate America's Best Drivers Report® tabulates property damage frequency of Allstate insured drivers from 2013-2014.The report analyzes the 200 largest cities from the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places over 50,000, measured for 2014 as of July 1, 2015. In prior years, neighboring cities that shared zip codes also shared rankings. This only impacted a minimal number of cities; however, since 2014, the report used geolocation to increase accuracy and there are no longer shared rankings. U.S. Census Bureau data was used to obtain the population density factor. For the precipitation factor, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data was utilized. Allstate Drivewise® data is based on Allstate customers voluntarily enrolled in the telematics program from 2010-2015. A number of cities from the full 200 Best Drivers rankings are excluded in the Drivewise data due to the limited measurable data available, or because Drivewise was not available (California, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas). The Allstate Best Drivers Report is produced solely to boost the country's discussion about safe driving and to increase awareness of the importance of being safe and attentive behind the wheel. The report is not used to determine auto insurance rates.
ⁱⁱ 2016, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/travel_monitoring/16febtvt/page2.cfm
ⁱⁱⁱ 2016, National Safety Council Motor Vehicle Fatality Estimate, http://www.nsc.org/Connect/NSCNewsReleases/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=103&var=hp4 
^iv 2016, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/nhtsa-sees-roadway-deaths-increasing-02052016  
^v Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160628/384316-INFO

SOURCE The Allstate Corporation

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