Allstate: Seattle, Portland area drivers are among the least safe in the country as a group

A new report created by insurance giant Allstate has found that drivers in the Seattle and Portland metropolitan areas are among the least safest in the country, while drivers in the greater Boise area are among the safest.

The latest edition of the Allstate Best Drivers Report, which is now in its tenth year, places Boise in third, after Fort Collins, Colorado, and McAllen, Texas.

Boise ranked second place last year, so it only dropped one spot.

Seattle ranks 173rd, down from 160th last year. Portland, Oregon had an even more precipitous decline, dropping from 154th to 177th.

Other Northwest cities were ranked as follows:

• Eugene, OR: 23rd (was 10th last year)
• Spokane, WA: 71st (was 45th last year)
• Tacoma, WA: 153rd (was 144th last year)
• Salem, WA: 102nd (was 77th last year)
• Vancouver, WA: 94th (was 82nd last year)

Given the decline in the rankings across Pacific Northwest cities, it would seem we had a more dangerous year than usual.

At the very bottom of the list are the District of Columbia, Boston, and Worchester, Massachusetts. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Miami, Atlanta, Baltimore, New Haven, and Providence also rank below the Northwest’s cities, but New York, Chicago, Honolulu, and many other major cities rank higher than Seattle/Portland.

The end notes to the report explain the methodology used:

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.

The report can be read in full on Allstate’s website.