A new analysis by Allstate, a major American insurance company, suggests that where motorists drive in the United States can make a significant difference to their chances of being involved in a crash.
According to Allstate’s 2026 America’s Best Drivers Report, U.S. drivers are involved in a collision on average once every 10.86 years. However, the gap between the safest and riskiest cities is striking. In the safest city, drivers go nearly 15 years between collisions on average, while in the city with the highest crash risk that figure falls to just 3.76 years.
Brownsville, Texas, was named the safest driving city in the country for the second consecutive year, with drivers there averaging 14.99 years between collisions. Boston, Massachusetts, remained at the bottom of the rankings, with motorists 189% more likely to be involved in a crash than the national average.
Several Texas cities appeared among the safest places to drive, while Massachusetts performed poorly overall. Boston, Worcester and Springfield all ranked among the cities with the highest collision risk.
Allstate based its rankings on auto insurance claims data from the 200 largest U.S. cities. The company also used information from Drivewise, its app-based tool that tracks driving behaviours such as speeding, harsh braking and phone use.
Laura Hoffman, Allstate’s vice president of auto design and telematics, said the findings show that road safety is influenced by both location and driver behaviour.
“Where you drive plays a role in your risk, but how and when you drive matters just as much,” Hoffman said in the report. She added that combining claims data with driving insights can help motorists reduce crashes and keep insurance costs lower.
The 10 safest cities in the report were:
- Brownsville, Texas: 14.99 years between collisions
- Fort Collins, Colorado: 14.96
- Boise, Idaho: 14.07
- Laredo, Texas: 13.82
- Cary, North Carolina: 12.82
- Madison, Wisconsin: 12.81
- McAllen, Texas: 12.76
- Colorado Springs, Colorado: 12.68
- Eugene, Oregon: 12.68
- Olathe, Kansas: 12.51
The 10 riskiest cities were:
- Boston, Massachusetts: 3.76 years between collisions
- Washington, D.C.: 4.24
- Baltimore, Maryland: 4.49
- Worcester, Massachusetts: 5.14
- Springfield, Massachusetts: 5.18
- Glendale, California: 5.53
- Providence, Rhode Island: 5.87
- Sunrise Manor, Nevada: 5.95
- Los Angeles, California: 5.99
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 6.12
The report also highlighted several cities that improved significantly compared with the previous year. Waco, Texas, posted the largest gain, climbing 40 places in the rankings. Savannah, Georgia, rose 30 places, while New Orleans, Louisiana, and Kansas City, Kansas, each moved up 29 spots.
Detroit, Michigan, recorded the steepest decline, falling 38 places. Rockford, Illinois, dropped 34 places, followed by Arlington, Virginia, Tampa, Florida, and Anchorage, Alaska.
Allstate noted that the rankings can shift from year to year because of changing traffic patterns, road conditions and driver behaviour.
Georgia stood out as the most improved state overall, with Savannah, Macon and Columbus each rising by at least 20 places. By contrast, several Midwestern cities moved down the table, including Omaha, Milwaukee, Chicago and Indianapolis.
The Drivewise data also pointed to specific behaviours that can increase risk. Night-time driving was more common in cities such as Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and New York City, where reduced visibility, tiredness and impaired driving may contribute to greater danger.
Phone use behind the wheel was more frequent in dense urban areas, with Miami, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Boston among the cities where it appeared most often.
Speeding was most common in Bridgeport, Connecticut; Pittsburgh; Indianapolis; Chicago; and the Alabama cities of Mobile, Birmingham and Huntsville.
Hard braking was especially common in parts of Arizona and North Carolina. Raleigh, Fayetteville and Durham in North Carolina, along with Chandler, Glendale, Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert in Arizona, had some of the highest rates.
