[Hi. It’s Renee. The 2015 Best Drivers Report was released, so I thought I’d add an update right up top. We as Rochester drivers are getting worse. We now rank 152 (You’ll see that we were 144 when I wrote this.) Okay. Read on. Everything else I said in this article is still applicable, so I’m not going to re-invent the wheel. No pun intended.]

I focus on pedestrians a lot. It’s true. I super dig walkable communities. And we know that Rochester has some challenges for those who get around via something other than a car. But what about drivers?

How safe is driving in Rochester?

Allstate puts out a Best Drivers Report each year that ranks the 200 largest cities in the US. The top ranked cities are the ones where drivers are the least likely to be involved in a traffic collision. The safest city for drivers? Fort Collins, CO. The cities where drivers are most likely to get in a collision? Boston & Worcester, MA.

Where does Rochester rank?
144.

What does #144 on the list mean?
According to Allstate’s report, it means drivers here are 25% more likely to get in an accident when compared to the national average for drivers, equating to an average driver experiencing a collision every 8 years.

Holy crap! Those are terrible statistics!
Rochester was ranked #131 in 2013. So either we are getting worse or everyone else is getting better. Not that 131 is great either.

Now we know there are all sorts of reasons for accidents: drivers who are under the influence of drugs and alcohol, distracted driving (texting, putting on mascara, eating breakfast, lack of sleep) and — wait for it (because I know you are going to say it) — the weather. Now before you crawl up on that one and wave your finger, take a look at some of the other cities. Syracuse and Anchorage rank higher than Rochester. Honolulu (a city I escape to in my mind in January aaaaaaaall the time) is 4 spots higher than Rochester. So it’s not just about weather. And even if it is, we should strive to make driving safer around here.

Whenever I write about initiatives to make our streets safer for all who traverse them, I get a lot of feedback like “Give it up! Rochester was built for cars. Let us drive!” or “If people wouldn’t jaywalk, it would make driving safer.” “Don’t reduce the lanes; it will add a few minutes to my commute and I won’t come to the city anymore.” Well, I say to those who only drive all the time — why wouldn’t you want to be safer even when you are driving?

Cities all over the country are committing to initiatives that collectively promise to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities. Things like red light camera programs, lower default speed limits and speed cameras are all pieces of an overall effort to make city streets safer for ALL who traverse them. That means making it safer when you are in your car too.

So before you poo-poo street calming projects and red light camera programs (the City Council will vote on continuing the Rochester program on October 14), take a moment to think about the bigger picture of what these things mean for the overall safety of EVERYONE living around and traversing the streets. And that means people in cars too.

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Written by: Renee
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