Are Houston drivers more likely to crash than drivers in other cities?

According to a recently released report, YES.  Houston drivers are nearly 30 percent more likely to be involved in a vehicle wreck than drivers in other major U.S. cities.  However, this statistic comes with some caveats.

 

The study was conducted by Allstate, and according to the insurance giant is intended to “raise awareness and promote safe driving.”  Before Houston drivers feel bad for being labeled as poor drivers, they should know that the study did not take into account the number of hours that motorists spend in their vehicles. 

 

The fact that Houston is a major vehicle commuter city with heavy congestion and very busy rush hours could partially explain why our drivers rate so poorly in this study.  We simply spend more time behind the wheel, which makes it look like we are more likely to be involved in a crash.  If Allstate actually factored in the amount of time we spend in our vehicles, we bet these numbers would change.

 

Drivers in other Texas cities actually rated worse than Houston drivers.  If you know anyone from Austin, San Antonio, or Dallas – you can feel a little better because according to this study drivers from those cities are actually worse than Houston drivers.

 

You might be wondering if a report from an insurance company like Allstate that says those of us in Houston are bad drivers will raise your auto insurance rates.  Insurance companies claim that this isn’t the case; the main factor they consider when setting insurance rates is your personal driving history.

 

(Psst… wondering where the worst drivers live?  Look no further than our nation’s capital.  Washington D.C. ranked number one on the list of bad drivers!)