newjerseynewsroom.com

Names Fort Collins, Colorado drivers as safest in nation

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Pity those holier-than-thou drivers in Fort Collins, Co. They will never know the cheap thrill of driving Tonnelle Avenue in Jersey City or the Broad Street ramp in Newark or Route 1 in Elizabeth during a rush-hour ice storm while being tailgated by a teenager in a pickup truck with oversized wheels and the high beam on.

Allstate Insurance has named Fort Collins drivers as the safest of all the motorists of America’s 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency. Boise, Ida. and Lincoln, Neb. finished second and third.

Ahh … New Jersey’s four largest cities, Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Elizabeth finished among the 21 cities considered to have the most unsafe drivers—for the second straight year.

Newark, the 68th largest city in the nation, came in at 190. Jersey City, the 78th largest, came in at 186. Paterson, the 168th largest, came in at 179th, and Elizabeth, the 195th largest, came in at 181. They are the only New Jersey municipalities listed in the report.

Philadelphia, where South Jersey motorists contribute to the traffic, is ranked as having the most unsafe drivers in the nation.

In Fort Collins, Allstate found the average driver will experience an auto collision on the average of once every 14 years, which is 28.6 percent less likely than the national average of 10 years.

In Paterson, an average driver will experience a collision every 6.9 years. In Elizabeth, it’s 6.7 years; Jersey City 6.4 years and Newark 5.9 years.

"Human behavior is the biggest cause of accidents,” Mike Roche, Allstate's Claim Organization vice president, said.

"Allstate's Best Driver's Report was created to boost the country's discussion on safe driving,” Roche added. “Each year we hope the report will increase awareness on the importance of being tolerant and attentive behind the wheel."

"Safety is a critical component to creating a world-class city; we have our residents to thank as they are undoubtedly the reason Fort Collins is one of the best places to live, work, and play,” Mayor Karen Weitkunat said.

Auto crashes in general have declined nationally over the last few years, but crash fatalities still average more than 32,000 every year despite technological advances, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For the past seven years, Allstate actuaries have conducted an in-depth analysis of company claim data to determine the likelihood drivers in the 200 largest cities will experience a vehicle collision compared to the national average. Internal property damage reported claims were analyzed over a two-year period—from January 2008 to December 2009 —to ensure the findings would not be impacted by external influences such as weather or road construction.