Category: Car Crashes

Allstate has just released its 14th annual America’s Best Drivers Report, which ranks the 200 largest U.S. cities on the frequency of car crashes. The rankings, which are based on Allstate claims data, also calculate how the likelihood of each city’s residents to be in car crashes compared the average U.S. driver. American drivers, on average, are in a car crash every ten years or so.

You’re likely quite familiar with the term “distracted driving” and may even have been a distracted driver yourself at some point in your driving career. In fact, most drivers become distracted from time to time, perhaps without even realizing it. The problem is that operating a motor vehicle in a distracted state can lead to collision, which can cause injuries, which can change lives, forever.

We all know that driving while distracted is dangerous. When we think about distracted driving behavior, we usually think about activities that take our eyes off the road or our hands off the wheel. Therefore, two of the most commonly discussed distracted driving behaviors are texting and hand-held phone calls while driving.

An international study of distracted driving has identified four types of drivers who resist messages to avoid talking or texting behind the wheel. Interestingly, women were substantially more likely than men to engage in distracted driving, so women are the first of the four profiles. The others include people who are frequent users of their phones, drivers who are highly disinhibited, and those with negative attitudes about safety.

Although safety technology in motor vehicles is relatively new, it may not take long before you take it for granted. You fasten your seatbelt instinctively and never give a thought to your anti-lock brakes. You may not even consider turn signals, headlights and door locks to be safety features. They are just part of the car.

When you embark on your day’s journey in your commuter car, you mull over your day’s activities and responsibilities. Perhaps you even think ahead about what you will do for lunch. However, all of a sudden, a reportedly careless motorist strikes your car. Suddenly, your day’s agenda looks very different.

According to federal data, 94 percent of motor vehicle crashes are the result of human error. That is the motivation behind creating fully autonomous vehicles that take drivers completely away from the controls. After the recent fatal accident involving a self-driving Uber vehicle in Arizona, however, it’s clear that we’re not quite there yet.

In our last post, we reported on the increasing cases of distracted driving that are permeating U.S. roads. This week, we take a look at a newly established cause of road collisions: Pokémon GO.