Boston Drivers Ranked Worst in America. Here’s why that’s wrong
The popular car insurance company Allstate just released their 2015 Best Drivers Report, and ranked Boston the worst driving city in America (200 out of 200). However, when looking a little deeper, it’s easy to see that’s just wrong. Like any city, auto accidents are bound to happen, so let’s look at key statistics to see if the rankings hold up.
Boston Drivers- Worst in America?
In Allstate’s 2015 Best Driver’s Report, they ranked Boston dead last- 200th out of the 200 cities they analyzed. The assumption that Boston is the most dangerous driving city in America is frightening for residents, and looking at only this piece of the puzzle could easily make Boston drivers nervous. According to Allstate research, Boston drivers get into an accident approximately once every 3.9 years, and are more likely to get into an accident than the national average. These are shocking statistics, but is this a true picture of how dangerous it is to drive in the city? We believe other statistics are even more important- such as how likely someone is to be hurt or killed in a collision.
Massachusetts Fatality Rates are Lowest in U.S.
Overall, Massachusetts accidents are less severe than just about anywhere in the country. In fact, the fatality rate for Massachusetts accidents is just 0.58 per 100 million miles driven — the lowest ever recorded, and the lowest out of all states in the U.S. so while you may be more likely to get into an accident in Boston, there’s a good chance that it won’t be a serious one.
Other Massachusetts Counties Are Actually More Dangerous
Boston isn’t even the most dangerous county in Massachusetts. It’s important to look more closely at the different counties within Massachusetts in order to determine if Boston really is the most dangerous place to drive. Last year, there were only 25 traffic fatalities in Suffolk County- accounting for just a small portion of the total fatalities for the state of Massachusetts. with 1.5 million people living in Suffolk county, this rate is strikingly low. In fact, there were more than twice as many traffic fatalities in both Plymouth and Worcester Counties. Even though the population of Worcester (809,000) is a little more than half of Suffolk’s and the population of Plymouth County (501,000) is only 1/3 of Suffolk’s!
Looking at this data helps show that Boston is actually one of the least dangerous areas in Massachusetts to drive in, contrary to the original notion that Boston is the worst city for automobile accidents.
Were You In an Accident? Contact an Attorney Today
If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident in Boston, it’s critical that you reach out to an attorney for car accident cases in Boston, even if you were not seriously hurt in the crash to file a Boston car accident case. There may be minor injuries that need medical care and vehicle damage that is costly, and if someone else’s negligence was responsible for the crash, you may be able to hold them legally accountable for their actions.
Boston injury lawyer John J. Sheehan is an experienced car accident lawyer that has helped numerous Boston residents overcome the difficulties of being involved in a car crash and Somerville front-end car accident, and can provide you with the comprehensive legal support you need.
Photo via flickr by Mike Mozart
Graph by dot.gov