Allstate is back with its annual ranking of US cities by the quality of their motorists, and once again, Washington’s drivers are rated among the nation’s worst. Out of the country’s 200 largest cities, DC was ranked 198th for the second consecutive year, besting only Boston and dead-last Worcester, Massachusetts.
The most important metric in Allstate’s report is the frequency at which drivers get into accidents, and DC’s drivers experience collisions once every 5.1 years, nearly twice as often as the average American driver. But while the District is plainly full of bad drivers, don’t expect the suburbs to get away dent-free. Alexandria came in 193rd place, with drivers crashing their cars once every 5.9 years.
Allstate says there’s no getting around our local drivers’ crummy reputations. The insurance company also weighted its 200 subject cities according to population, density, and weather conditions—Washington did not rank higher than 196th in any scenario.
The East Coast’s major cities are uniformly terrible at driving, too, with Baltimore ranked 195th, Philadelphia 192nd, Atlanta 179th, and New York 155th.
For a safe time on the road, Allstate recommends Fort Collins, Colorado, where drivers go more than 14 years between collisions.
As for DC’s piddly ranking, 198th is pathetic, but its better than where we used to be. Washington occupied the bottom rung for most of the Allstate report’s history before finally being displaced by Worcester and Boston last year. Help the city’s reputation improve even more by not reading this in your car.
Read Allstate’s full report below. You’ll have to scroll down to find Washington.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Insurance Company Says Washington’s Drivers Are Nation’s Third-Worst
Allstate is back with its annual ranking of US cities by the quality of their motorists, and once again, Washington’s drivers are rated among the nation’s worst. Out of the country’s 200 largest cities, DC was ranked 198th for the second consecutive year, besting only Boston and dead-last Worcester, Massachusetts.
The most important metric in Allstate’s report is the frequency at which drivers get into accidents, and DC’s drivers experience collisions once every 5.1 years, nearly twice as often as the average American driver. But while the District is plainly full of bad drivers, don’t expect the suburbs to get away dent-free. Alexandria came in 193rd place, with drivers crashing their cars once every 5.9 years.
Allstate says there’s no getting around our local drivers’ crummy reputations. The insurance company also weighted its 200 subject cities according to population, density, and weather conditions—Washington did not rank higher than 196th in any scenario.
The East Coast’s major cities are uniformly terrible at driving, too, with Baltimore ranked 195th, Philadelphia 192nd, Atlanta 179th, and New York 155th.
For a safe time on the road, Allstate recommends Fort Collins, Colorado, where drivers go more than 14 years between collisions.
As for DC’s piddly ranking, 198th is pathetic, but its better than where we used to be. Washington occupied the bottom rung for most of the Allstate report’s history before finally being displaced by Worcester and Boston last year. Help the city’s reputation improve even more by not reading this in your car.
Read Allstate’s full report below. You’ll have to scroll down to find Washington.
Find Benjamin Freed on Twitter at @brfreed.
ABD Report 2014
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Editors' Picks
Is DC Being Too Mean to Louise Linton?
Which Washington-Area Neighborhoods Will Boom Next?
Why This Is the Golden Age of DC Grocery Shopping
The Ultimate Guide to DC’s Cherry Blossoms
Most Popular
May 2018: Jeff Bezos in D.C.
Subscribe
Related Posts
What We Lost When We Lost Hank Dietle’s
WJLA’s TV Legends Are Vanishing. Does It Matter?
In Defense of 2016
There Are Still Six Confederate Memorials Around DC. How’s That Possible?
More from News
This Innovative Suburb Once Seemed Like a Failure
I Lost My Phone and All My Photos (No, They Weren’t Backed Up). What I Learned Surprised Me.
The Owners of Lyon Hall and Northside Social On Why They Love Arlington
Inside Jeff Bezos’s DC Life