Glendale ranked last among California cities for having the worst drivers
Drivers in Glendale are roughly 76% more likely to be involved in a collision than the national average, making them some of the worst motorists nationwide, according to a new insurance report.
For the ninth year in row, Glendale ranked near the bottom of the Allstate Insurance Co.’s “America’s Best Drivers” report, which includes 194 of the country’s largest cities. And Glendale ranked last among cities in California for having the worst drivers.
“Individually, any driver can make a difference in their risk of having a collision,” said Jim Klapthor, an Allstate spokesman based in California.
Drivers in Fort Collins, Colo. have consistently topped the list with an average of 13.9 years between accidents while motorists in Glendale, which ranked fifth from the bottom this year, had a collision every 5.7 years.
The report includes data from all collisions, including minor, single-vehicle accidents, reported by Allstate-insured drivers and might not necessarily reflect public safety, Klapthor said. The insurance company provides coverage to 10% of all insured vehicles across the country.
“What constitutes a ‘collision’ may vary between drivers,” he said. “[For example], is a dented bumper in Glendale, Calif., treated the same by its driver as a dented bumper in Fort Collins, Colo.? The dented bumper of a luxury car treated the same by its driver as by the owner of a pickup truck?”
The report, he said, was created to increase awareness among drivers so that they can make their communities safer.
Glendale spokesman Tom Lorenz said the report is a conversation starter but it doesn’t “drill down the collision factors.
“There is no doubt that this creates needed discussion; however, the data only pertains to Allstate customers,” he said.
Still, Lorenz added that police have increased their enforcement efforts and have received nearly $250,000 in traffic safety grants this year to “educate and force change in driver habits.”
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