An average of seven years between car accidents in Seattle may seem like a long time, but when compared to Kansas City's per person car accident frequency of 13 years, our drivers pale in comparison.
Allstate Insurance Company recently ranked 200 of America's cities in their 2015 America's Best Drivers Report, and Seattle did not fare well. This report used data from Allstate customer insurance claims in order to develop average years between crashes and the likelihood that a driver in that city will have an accident compared to the national average.
Seattle Ranked 184 out of 200 Cities for Best Drivers
For the 2015 rankings, Seattle ended up on the last page of the report in the 184th position. Our city dropped 11 positions since 2014, signaling that Seattle drivers are getting more reckless and distracted while driving, causing more accidents.
What is more, according to the report Seattle drivers are 45.9 percent more likely to have an accident when compared to the national average. Even cities like New York City, Atlanta, and Miami where traffic and reckless drivers are notorious outranked Seattle on the report.
What causes bad driving and crashes in Seattle?
There is no simple answer to our bad driver problem in Seattle. One issue that we must learn to deal with is poor weather. When conditions are rainy or icy and roads are slick, drivers must learn to slow down, pay complete attention, and compensate for longer stopping distances.
Seattle drivers must learn to control their road rage, especially in high-traffic areas. Understanding what triggers road rage in other drivers can help prevent more angry drivers on our roads. Avoid tailgating and unnecessary honking – these actions can raise tempers of hotheaded drivers nearby.
Aggressive drivers cause Washington State’s road rage problem, but even calm people can drive aggressively. Avoid aggressive drivers who zip in and out of lanes, speed up on slower moving cars and pass quickly, or tailgate and "bully" drivers out of their lane. Most importantly, keep your cool if you see an aggressive driver or else you may become a part of our road rage problem! Be sure to report an aggressive driver if you feel safe doing so.
Finally, there is the big issue of cell phone use while driving. According to the official U.S. Government, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones at any given moment while driving during the day. In 2013, we lost over 3,000 people nationwide to crashed involving distracted drivers. Manually using your smartphone for any purpose while driving increases the risk of crashing by three times.
Take Action to Become a Safer Driver
Improving the safety on Seattle roads begins with each driver making a pledge to stop these reckless and dangerous behaviors.
- No using handheld electronics while driving
- No aggressive driving behaviors
- No road raging
- No driving while fatigued or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
If every driver started following these simple rules, Seattle's bad driver reputation could be gone within a few years.
Until Seattle drivers clean up their acts, we will continue to see hundreds of serious or fatal accidents every year. The car accident attorneys at Max Meyers Law are here to help drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians who sustain injuries in accidents with negligent drivers.
Contact us to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation regarding your potential claim: 425-399-7000.