Report: Providence among least safest driving cities in U.S.

PROVIDENCE WAS ranked near the bottom by Allstate Corp. in its 12th annual America’s Best Drivers report, coming 194th out of 200 large cities included. Boston ranked last. / COURTESY ALLSTATE
PROVIDENCE WAS ranked near the bottom by Allstate Corp. in its 12th annual America’s Best Drivers report, coming 194th out of 200 large cities included. Boston ranked last. / COURTESY ALLSTATE

PROVIDENCE – Providence is one of the least safe cities for driving in the U.S., according to Allstate Corp., which released its 12th annual America’s Best Drivers report on Tuesday in time for the Independence Day weekend.
The insurance company said the Fourth of July is “the deadliest day on the road,” citing the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
It said Providence continues to be one of the least safe driving cities in the nation, ranking 194th – or seventh worst – out of 200 surveyed. Each year, the report ranks the 200 largest cities in the U.S. in terms of car collision frequency.
According to the report, the average driver in Providence will experience an auto collision every 5.9 years compared with the national average of every 10 years, meaning Providence drivers are 69 percent more likely to have a crash compared with the national average.
Providence improved one spot in the ranking from last year.

“As Rhode Island drivers look forward to celebrating the holiday weekend, the results of our report are an important reminder to put safety first on the road,” Tracey King, Allstate spokeswoman, said in a statement. “We encourage drivers in Providence to refocus on safe-driving practices, to help reduce roadway collisions that may result in unfortunate consequences, such as tragic fatalities and potentially higher insurance costs.”
Boston is the least safe driving city for the second year in a row, Allstate said.
On the other end of the spectrum, Brownsville, Texas, claimed the overall top spot for the first time ( last year it ranked second). The average Brownsville driver experiences an auto collision every 14.6 years – which is 31.4 percent less likely to crash compared with the national average.

The report also included hard braking data, showing that Providence drivers average 15.3 hard braking events per 1,000 miles, which is less than the national average of 19 hard braking events every 1,000 miles. A hard braking event is defined as slowing down eight miles per hour or more over a one-second period. Allstate found a correlation between hard braking and collision frequency as cities with higher collision frequencies also recorded more hard-braking events.

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