Is Lake County, IL Home to America’s Worst Drivers?

 Posted on July 24, 2019 in Car Accidents

When you drive on 94 or 41, do you ever feel like you are dodging terrible drivers right and left? You may think your city has the worst drivers in America, but you would be wrong. The rates of car accident claims and hard-braking events are relatively low in most of the Chicago metropolitan area relative to the rest of the country, according to the Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report 2019. Five Chicago cities were included on this year’s ranking of 200 American cities, and you may be surprised to learn how they placed.

Among Illinois Large Cities, Rockford Has the Safest Drivers

Four Chicagoland cities placed in the top third for driver safety. Rockford ranked 32nd, with the average driver making an auto insurance claim every 10.9 years and experiencing 23.7 hard-braking events per 1,000 miles driven. For perspective, the national average is 10.6 years between claims and 19 hard-braking events per 1,000 miles driven. 

Aurora placed 60th, followed by Joliet at 65th and Naperville at 70th. These cities all averaged about 10 years between driver claims, with about 29 hard-braking events per 1,000 miles driven. 

Interestingly, Rockford, Joliet, and Naperville all have a population around 150,000, while Aurora is about one-third larger, numbering about 203,000 people. Naperville and Aurora have a similar population density around 2,500 people per square mile, while Rockford has the lowest population density at roughly 1,100 people per square mile.

Waukegan and other Lake County cities were not included in the Allstate report. Given their relative population and population density, they would probably rank in the top third of safe-driving cities.

Chicago Drivers Rank in the Bottom Third on Safety

As you might expect, given its high population density, Chicago was the least safe city for drivers in Illinois, landing in the bottom one-third of the 200 cities at position 133. Chicago drivers average 8 years between claims and 28 hard-braking events per 1,000 miles.  

Nationwide, Boise, Idaho, and Fort Collins, Colorado, and Colorado Springs, Colorado ranked in the top 10 percent of the safest cities. East Coast cities such as Baltimore, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Boston, Massachusetts dominated the bottom of the ranking, along with the California cities of Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, and Pasadena.

What Percentage of American Accidents Are Preventable?

According to Allstate, 94 percent of motor vehicle collisions are caused by preventable human factors, such as distracted, drowsy, and drunk driving. So, if you are injured in a car or truck accident, there is a good chance that someone will be ruled negligent in causing the accident and you will be able to collect compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, permanent disability or disfigurement, and emotional distress.

Get a Lake County Car Accident Attorney on Your Side

If you have been seriously injured in a car accident in Lake County, do not accept an insurance settlement without first consulting a knowledgeable Waukegan car accident lawyer. The experienced personal injury lawyers at Salvi & Maher, L.L.C. are dedicated to securing the maximum compensation for you. For a free consultation about your case, call 847-662-3303.

Sources:

https://www.allstate.com/americas-best-drivers/index.htm