Boston drivers are the most accident-prone in the nation, according to insurance company Allstate’s 13th annual “America’s Best Drivers Report.”
Boston is home to the nation’s most crash-prone motorists, according to a recent report, and Worcester and Springfield, Massachusetts, are close behind.
Of the 200 cities included in the report, eight of the 10 with the most crash-prone motorists were in the Northeast. Fellow Massachusetts cities Worcester and Springfield joined Boston in the list’s bottom five.
The cities with the best drivers, according to the report, are Kansas City; Brownsville, Texas; and Madison, Wisconsin.
What Gives, Boston Drivers?
Allstate bases the annual report’s rankings on the number of years between accident claims in the United States’ 200 largest cities. On average, Boston drivers report an accident every 3.6 years. For comparison, Kansas City drivers go nearly 15 years between accidents; the national average is about 10 years.
This is the third year in a row Boston ranked last in Allstate’s report. Fortunately, Boston’s ranking doesn’t translate to most dangerous or deadly. In fact, some experts believe that because traffic is so slow and heavy in and around the Boston metro area, collisions result in comparatively fewer fatalities.
When it comes to crash volume in Boston, Dan Strollo says local drivers aren’t paying attention to the rules. Strollo is the CEO of In Control Crash Prevention, a Lexington-based nonprofit that offers state-certified crash-prevention training. In an interview with Radio Boston, Strollo used rotaries as an example.
“If people followed the rules and knew the laws and yield to the people who are already in the rotary, it allows you not to have to stop,” he said. “It reduces the number of people getting T-boned … we just haven’t gotten the concept down because we don’t pay attention to the rules.”
Strollo also noted that Boston drivers don’t seem to like to signal: “I think in Boston … it’s a badge of honor to not use your blinker,” he said. “It’s the idea that you can just ride up behind somebody and stick there.”
As Boston Magazine noted in an article on the Allstate report, “…when selecting transportation in Boston, you’ll probably fare better with that subway fare.”
Boston’s Driving Future
The Go Boston 2030 initiative addresses many transportation issues, including accident reduction.
Boston isn’t doomed to top this list of bad drivers forever. Among several city initiatives, Go Boston 2030 addresses important transportation issues, including accident reduction.
For example, Boston aims to expand public transportation access throughout its neighborhoods; leverage technology innovation with an autonomous vehicle pilot program; and improve safety and efficiency for everyone who shares the road.
With better public transportation, safer vehicles, and fewer people driving, Boston officials hope to see a decrease in accidents and related injuries. And, subsequently, a fall from the worst position on the yearly “America’s Best Drivers Report.”
If you were hurt in an accident, the Boston personal injury attorneys at Jason Stone Injury Lawyers are here to help. We’re the only law firm to offer the Stone Cold Guarantee®, and we only get paid after you get paid.
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