Visalia Tops California's Safest Cities on the 10th Annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report(R)"

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Allstate Insurance Company today released its tenth annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report®" and Visalia ranks first in California and seventh nationally as safest among America's 200 largest cities[i] in terms of car collision frequency. The report underscores Allstate's commitment to making roadways safer for its customers and all drivers.

For the first time Allstate reveals in the 2014 report new data rankings and historical rankings from the past 10 years in an interactive mapping tool found at www.allstate.com/BestDriversReport.

According to the report, the average driver in Visalia will experience an auto collision every 12.4 years—an improvement of one month or more for the second consecutive year—and a collision rate 19 percent better than the U.S. average.

"It's always interesting to see how our cities' rankings change over time," said Phil Telgenhoff, Field Senior Vice President of Allstate in California. "We congratulate all the best drivers in Visalia and across California, and recognize their safe driving skills."

"We don't want any California drivers to be discouraged by their city ranking. Instead, we want the report to challenge them to make positive changes to their driving," said Telgenhoff. "By reducing distractions and by looking at the new report and how outside factors impact the rankings, we can become better drivers."

The Allstate America's Best Drivers Report was created to facilitate an ongoing dialogue on safe driving. This year's top honor of "America's Safest Driving City" is Fort Collins, Colo., the fourth year the city has held the top spot in the report's ten-year history. According to the report, the average driver in Fort Collins will experience an auto collision every 14.2 years, which is 29.6 percent less likely than the national average of 10 years.

Below is a look at how other cities in California finished in the Allstate America's Best Drivers Report.  

For the first time in the report's ten-year history, Allstate's interactive mapping tool demonstrates how location factors like population, population density and precipitation can impact a city's driving safety ranking. When taking challenging roadway conditions into consideration, some cities' safest drivers ranking changed based on the likelihood for collision and these location factors.

For each of the location factors Allstate measured in this year's report, the insurer recommends drivers use caution especially when driving under these conditions:

Highly populated cities

• Know what's happening in the city during the time you're driving. Find out if there are events that may impact traffic, and listen to traffic reports on your car radio. Avoid traffic jams or explore alternative routes, if possible. 
• Get directions to where you're going. Review directions carefully in advance. If you get lost mid-trip, safely pull over and wait until you feel calm enough to get back on the road, using that time to get directions, check traffic or call for help.

Densely populated cities

• Allow plenty of time to reach your destination. Stop-and-go traffic, gridlock, traffic signal stops, pedestrian walkways and events that create traffic detours can add time to your travel.
• Stay alert. Be prepared to frequently stop or slow down for pedestrians, emergency vehicles, delivery trucks, parking cars, taxi cabs, and public transportation vehicles such as city buses.

Cities with high levels of precipitation

• Keep a safe distance between other drivers. Stopping safely in rain and snow takes greater lengths of roadway than in dry conditions.
• Maintain your vehicle to prepare for extreme weather. Headlights and brake lights are critical in low visibility situations – be sure they are consistently maintained along with other critical car functions such as brakes and windshield wipers.

The Report
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 33,500 car crash fatalities occurred in 2012. Additionally, Allstate research found that 70 percent of vehicles involved in auto claims are considered drivable, which indicates that most claims are the result of low speed (under 35 miles per hour) collisions. Allstate utilizes the America's Best Drivers Report to remind drivers to stay vigilant behind the wheel and protect themselves from challenging driving conditions.

To view the complete Allstate America's Best Drivers Report with these new rankings, or to see previous years' results, visit www.allstate.com/BestDriversReport. 

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 its Allstate, Encompass, Esurance and Answer Financial brand names and Allstate Financial business segment. 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 2013, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $29 million to support local communities. Allstate employees and agency owners donated 200,000 hours of service across the country.

^[i] The Allstate America's Best Drivers Report® tabulates property damage collision frequency of Allstate insured drivers from 2011-2012. 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 2012 as of July 1, 2013. In prior years, neighboring cities that shared zip codes also shared rankings. This only impacted a minimal number of cities; however, in 2014, the report used geolocation to increase accuracy and there are no longer shared rankings. 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. U.S. Census Bureau data was used to obtain population and population density factors. For the precipitation factor, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data was utilized.

SOURCE Allstate Insurance Company

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