South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog
Earlier this month, Allstate released the America’s Best Drivers Report which revealed America’s safest driving cities. Of all the cities in Florida, Port St. Lucie was the safest. Data shows there are the fewest reported car accidents in Port St. Lucie than in other cities statewide.
According to TC Palm, in an analysis of the 200 largest cities nationwide, Port St. Lucie was ranked as the 24th safest city to drive in. Cape Coral was the second highest Florida city ranked in the report at 42nd on the list overall. Actuaries studying Allstate’s claim data determined that drivers in Port St. Lucie go approximately 11.2 years between accidents on average, slightly higher than the national average of 10 years between reported accidents. Crashes, defined for purposes of this study as collisions leading to property damage claims, were analyzed from January 2008 through December 2009.
Injury lawyers in Margate, Sunrise and elsewhere in South Florida are somewhat skeptical due to the fact that Allstate only covers automobile insurance for 10 percent of drivers nationwide.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Palm Beach County reported the most traffic fatalities in 2009. Miami-Dade accounted for 10 percent of Florida fatalities, followed by Broward County accounting for 7 percent of traffic fatalities.
An accident in southwestern Miami-Dade County made the news recently when a Florida Department of Transportation vehicle was rear-ended by a Florida Highway Patrol car. WSVN reports that both drivers had to be transported to the hospital for minor injuries, but no one died in the accident.
This is a prime example of how accidents occur every day, but some go unclaimed through insurance companies either because they are work-related or motorists opt not to raise premiums by reporting a minor accident. These kinds of situations can skew the big picture of insurance-related surveys or accident reports statewide.
Allstate has been releasing the report for the last seven years in hopes of initiating discussions about safe driving behaviors throughout cities nationwide. The safest driving city in the country according to the report is Fort Collins, Colorado, which earned the title for the second year in a row. Despite collisions gradually going down nationwide each year, roughly 32,000 people lose their lives annually as the result of a car accident.
Allstate offers these simple tips to avoid an accident:
-Avoid road rage by remaining calm, driving defensively, and not driving under high pressure situations caused by being late or high traffic congestion.
-Set your GPS ahead of time and return or make phone calls when you arrive safely at your destination.
-Avoid driving in a hurricane or other poor weather-related conditions.
-Stay out of motorists’ blind spots and allow ample amount of space when you follow a vehicle or change lanes.
No matter where you live in the state, motorists are reminded with school back in session and holiday travel season on the way, to be safe out there and don’t take any chances in order to avoid a car accident for the remainder of 2011.
The injury lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC are dedicated to help car accident victims in Coral Springs, Pompano Beach, Fort Pierce and throughout Florida to determine who is at fault and what action should be taken. If you have been injured in a South Florida car accident, call 1-800-561-7777 for a free no-obligation appointment with a knowledgeable attorney today.
Additional Resources:
Allstate ranks Port St. Lucie as 24th safest big city for driving, by Will Greenlee, TC Palm.
FHP trooper involved in wreck, WSVN.
More Blog Entries:
Fatal Car Accident in Lake Worth Urges Officials to Push Distracted Driving Regulations, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, September 11, 2011.
High School Student Hit and Killed in Florida Bicycling-Car Accident, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, September 2, 2011.