A Huntsville No. 4 in highway safety

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

By MATTHEW NASCONE
Times Staff Writer eintern@htimes.com

Huntsville residents are among the nation's safest drivers, at least according to Allstate Insurance Co.'s inaugural "America's Best Drivers Report."

Huntsville drivers ranked No. 4 in the report, which covered 196 cities with populations of at least 100,000. Huntsville checks in at 164,287 people.

Allstate's first-ever ranking says the average Huntsvillian will be involved in a wreck every 13.1 years, compared to the national average of once every 10 years.

However, some Huntsville drivers have their doubts about the findings.

"You should call the Allstate people and have them drive the Parkway or University Drive during rush hour." said Jim Brooks, owner of the Chevron at 801 Airport Road. "We may be fourth, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

"And, if we work at it, maybe we can be first in the next poll."

Allstate researchers analyzed its claims over a two-year period (from January 2002 to December 2003) to ensure the findings would not be impacted by external influences such as weather or road construction. A weighted average of the two-year numbers determined the annual percentages. The report defines an auto crash as any collision resulting in property damage, according to a news release.

According to the report, Allstate policyholders in the largest 196 cities were involved in more than 2.2 million crashes during the two years. Nationwide, drivers were involved in 8.7 million collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The three cities above Huntsville were Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Chattanooga.

Rounding out the top 10 were Knoxville; Des Moines, Iowa; Topeka, Kan.; Lakewood, Colo.; Fort Collins, Colo., and Birmingham.

According to Allstate, the city with the worst drivers is Washington, D.C. Drivers in the nation's capital wreck their vehicles once every 5.2 years.

"Allstate's auto policies represent about 12 percent of the U.S. population, making this report a realistic snapshot of what's happening on America's roadways," said Allan Williams, retired chief scientist and researcher with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.



A Huntsville No. 4 in highway safety Survey: Resident will have a wreck every 13.1 years Wednesday, June 08, 2005 By MATTHEW NASCONE Times Staff Writer eintern@htimes.com Huntsville residents are among the nation's safest drivers, at least according to Allstate Insurance Co.'s inaugural "America's Best Drivers Report." Huntsville drivers ranked No. 4 in the report, which covered 196 cities with populations of at least 100,000. Huntsville checks in at 164,287 people. Allstate's first-ever ranking says the average Huntsvillian will be involved in a wreck every 13.1 years, compared to the national average of once every 10 years. However, some Huntsville drivers have their doubts about the findings. "You should call the Allstate people and have them drive the Parkway or University Drive during rush hour." said Jim Brooks, owner of the Chevron at 801 Airport Road. "We may be fourth, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. "And, if we work at it, maybe we can be first in the next poll." Allstate researchers analyzed its claims over a two-year period (from January 2002 to December 2003) to ensure the findings would not be impacted by external influences such as weather or road construction. A weighted average of the two-year numbers determined the annual percentages. The report defines an auto crash as any collision resulting in property damage, according to a news release. According to the report, Allstate policyholders in the largest 196 cities were involved in more than 2.2 million crashes during the two years. Nationwide, drivers were involved in 8.7 million collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The three cities above Huntsville were Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Chattanooga. Rounding out the top 10 were Knoxville; Des Moines, Iowa; Topeka, Kan.; Lakewood, Colo.; Fort Collins, Colo., and Birmingham. According to Allstate, the city with the worst drivers is Washington, D.C. Drivers in the nation's capital wreck their vehicles once every 5.2 years. "Allstate's auto policies represent about 12 percent of the U.S. population, making this report a realistic snapshot of what's happening on America's roadways," said Allan Williams, retired chief scientist and researcher with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. © 2005 The Huntsville Times © 2005 al.com All Rights Reserved.

A Huntsville No. 4 in highway safety Survey: Resident will have a wreck every 13.1 years

A Huntsville No. 4 in highway safety
Survey: Resident will have a wreck every 13.1 years