Report: Valley one of safest places to drive in U.S.
Sep 24, 2014, 4:16 PM | Updated: 4:16 pm
PHOENIX — Sure, there are daily accidents and road work and yes, even the all-too-frequent wrong-way driver, but according to a new report, the Valley is one of the safest places to drive in the U.S.
Insurance company Allstate compiled a list, ranking the country’s 200 largest metro areas from the safety city to drive in to the least safest. Nine Arizona cities made the list, with all but two in the top 50.
Gilbert and Mesa were the only two Arizona cities to rank in the top 25, reaching No. 20 and No. 22, respectively. Gilbert residents are 12.5 percent less likely than others to get in an accident, and most go almost 11.5 years in between crashes. Last year, it ranked 29th.
Mesa residents are 11 percent less likely to get into accidents and go about 11.2 years in between crashes. Last year, however, the city ranked No. 11.
Chandler and Tempe also rank close together. At No. 31, Chandler drivers are 8.4 percent less likely to get into an accident, compared to 8.2 percent with Tempe drivers.
Tucson, Scottsdale and Peoria all ranked in the forties, at numbers 43, 45 and 47, respectively. Glendale came in 65th, while not surprisingly, Phoenix came in with an even lower ranking of 79th place. According to the report, Phoenix residents are actually 5.7 percent more likely to get into an accident; however, when compared to other cities with populations exceeding 1 million, the Valley of the Sun is actually the safest.
Fort Collins, Colo., and Brownsville, Tex., were the top two “safest” cities for drivers, while Boston and Worcester, Mass., came in last.
