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According to scientists, El Niños are at their strongest at the moment hitting all the records. This can result in added precipitation. Wet conditions can bring chaos to many places and affect traffic, as well as the road safety in general. But there are some cities that are safer than other in wet or snowy weather, and they are revealed in the 2015 Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report.
Jim Ladder, vice president of auto claims in Allstate, says that car accidents are on the rise nationwide and it is important for Allstate to keep drivers safe, especially now when El Niño is so powerful.
Fort Collins has been ranked the 7th in the list of top 10 cities at the Best Drivers Report when precipitation is concerned. Other cities are:
- 1 Kansas City, KS
- 2 Cape Coral, FL
- 3 Brownsville, TX
- 4 Boise, OD
- 5 Madison, WI
- 6 Huntsville, AL
- 7 Fort Collins, CO
- 8 Port St. Lucie, FL
- 9 Cary, NC
- 10 Montgomery, AL
According ti the National Safety Council, the country is on track for its deadliest driving year since 2007. The number of car accidents fatalities in 14% higher than a year ago. For serious injuries it is even more than that with an increase of 30% over the same period. Many factors impact the road safety. More miles have been driven due to lower gas prices and an improving economy. In 2015, the cumulative travel was up by 3,5%, as stated in the latest Traffic Volume Trend Report by the Federal Highway Administration.
It’s great that Fort Collins and the other cities on the list can set an example for the rest of the nation. I believe it when you say that fatalities have risen 14% in the last year alone. That’s a scary number but it’s even worse in other parts. Back in 2012, my friend was killed in a car wreck. Her truck hit went off the road for unknown reasons (she wasn’t driving) and hit a tree. It split the truck in half. My friend and the driver were killed instantly. I reckon if they had survived she would have been paralyzed.
I’m proud to see two Alabama cities make the list, that’s my home state. Y’all stay safe on the road now, especially with all that precipitation!
All I had to do was look at the list and notice that my state Virginia is not listed. No surprise there. I dislike saying this about my state but the people here drive slow in good weather and faster in bad. One day there were literally three accidents- three! Near my home. One car was flipped over, windows busted and another had EMT dragging out a body(and I pray he is alive still), and the third had happened earlier that morning, on the other side. Please Virginia. Take notes from Colorado!
However thanks for the interesting facts explaining why there is more travel. it does make sense that the lower the gas prices, the more one would travel. Again, Virginia needs help though.
This is interesting especially in this constant change in weather patterns across the globe. It is amazing that cities like Colorado, Kansas City, Montgomery and the other 7 can be able to be safe and more habitable in such weather conditions and changes. This only calls to the fact that other cities in our beloved country are not ideal for drivers in these times. With the forecast released by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reporting that there is a greater than 90 percent chance of El Niño lasting way more than its average length. We can only wonder if our safe cities might become unsafe and if the unsafe cities might become absolutely unbearable.
Talking of Unsafe cities though, I think they have a lot to be desired of the drivers. Like always make sure you have good tires and hardware in general plus the caution of driving slowly. However the weather is still the principal cause of these car accidents and fatalities. Take Boston for example with 43.8 inches precipitation; and 157.7% more likely to crash. It is evident here that drivers can only do too much and the rest would be up to chance.
It is good that you mentioned the increased percentage in the number of accident fatalities. This is a warning to us all especially car drivers. Caution should be our watch word. The drop in gas prices which is a bonus for most households and an implication that we can cover more miles paying less should not be a curse to us.