Pittsburghers, your driving could use some improvement. At least that's according to Allstate Insurance Company’s ninth annual "Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report."
The Steel City ranked 22nd from the bottom out of 196 cities, based on Allstate claims data about car collision frequency.
Pittsburgh drivers are getting into wrecks every 7.2 years, compared to the national average of every 10 years. That’s down from 10.2 years between accidents last year, which put Pittsburgh at 27th from the bottom. Even though accidents were less frequent in last year’s data, the national average was also less frequent, which explains why Pittsburgh drivers were still near the bottom of the list.
Allstate spokeswoman Julia Reusch said the company started publishing the rankings nine years ago as a way to start a national conversation about safe driving.
“While there are cities who are patting themselves on the back … we have a lot of places, including Pittsburgh, where we’re talking about ways to make the roads safer and hopefully get people thinking when they’re driving about what they can do to avoid car crashes and stay safe,” she said.
According to Reusch, Pittsburghers have the power to improve their ranking in the future by reducing distractions while they’re behind the wheel.
“We recommend that drivers in Pittsburgh pay attention to driving," she said. "So, put down your cell phone, stop talking to the person next to you, stop fiddling with the radio, just focus on driving. Pay attention to the local traffic laws, and use your car safety features: turn signals, headlights. They’re there for a reason and they actually help to prevent accidents."
Allstate insures about 10 percent of all U.S. drivers, and Reusch said that the data they collect is a good snapshot of what’s happening on America’s roadways.
