Spokane7
55°
July 9, 2009 in City
Report ranks Spokane drivers No. 1 in state
Cites low collision rate
Jeremy Golding, 16, prepares himself mentally to take a driver’s education car on an hourlong freeway drive while driving instructor Jeanne Helfer fills out paperwork Wednesday. It was Golding’s ninth driving session with B&B Driving School in Spokane.jesset@spokesman.com
(Full-size photo)
Complicated weather, uncomplicated intersections and wider, more open thoroughfares all help make Spokane’s drivers the best in Washington. Allstate Insurance’s fifth “America’s Best Drivers Report,” released Wednesday, concludes that the Lilac City’s drivers are better than Seattle’s. The Emerald City’s motorists average 8.3 years between collisions while Spokane’s average 10.6 years, the report states.
Seattle drivers may think the statistic is unfair because there are 400,000 more people to bump into there. But drivers in San Diego, with a million-plus population, also rank higher than those in Seattle, according to Allstate Insurance’s review of 200 U.S. cities.
Spokane is ranked 34th in the U.S. for best driving, while Seattle is 134th, according to the report. San Diego is 101st. The safest drivers live in Sioux City, S.D.
Experts say snow could be a key reason for Spokane’s safety record. It trains people to be careful.
“You talk to anyone on the coast – when they get snow, they are counting on people who are from here to get them around,” said Becci Humphrey, co-owner of B&B Driving School. “In adverse conditions, we definitely have the advantage.”
An inch of snow would shut down some cities, but in Spokane even driver’s education classes are a go, driving school owners said. “A lot of parents enroll the kids in the winter, because they want their kids to learn how to drive in the snow,” Humphrey said. “The kids who take the classes in the winter learn to drive with more caution.”
When there’s no snow, the driving school uses a “skid master.” The machine simulates a skid to teach drivers how to steer out of it.
Scott Yerges, owner of All Seasons Driving School, is from Tacoma. He considers Spokane a much better place for drivers.
“Part of it is we don’t have a lot of complex intersections or clover-leaf highway on- and off-ramps,” he said. “We are blessed with nice, wide-open spaces to drive.”
A.J. Seitz, co-owner of 911 Driving School, said Spokane’s slower pace and snowy streets make the city’s drivers the best: “The better you can drive in all kinds of conditions, the better driver you are going to be.”
Recent stories by Jody Lawrence-Turner
School districts emphasize science, trades May 26, 2012 4- Students to pay, work for prank May 24, 2012
- Sandpoint High students vandalize school in senior prank May 23, 2012 7
- Spokane schools officials’ pay frozen May 15, 2012 18
- Redinger brings fresh direction, expectations to District 81 May 13, 2012 7
liarsinnews on July 09 at 7:31 a.m.
If you believe the story, put a tooth under your pillow tonight. My read; it might boost the number of insurance policies for Sears (with budget problems), in Spokane county. Nothing more than a marketing ploy.
lewis8457 on July 09 at 10:43 a.m.
add to the fact half of the drivers in Spokane can not drive in the winter due to lack of snow plowing, probably makes the numbers look even better.
Erik_T on July 10 at 12:10 a.m.
I sell auto insurance, and I know that loss ratio numbers tell the whole truth. Kootenai County drivers for instance (even though they are so close in distance relation to Spokane), pay much less premium for auto insurance than we do here in Spokane. Not to say that those drivers do not have accidents, as I can attest they do, just with much less frequency.
Washington State in itself has not been a profitable state over the last several years due to auto related claims. So I would have to agree that this is more of a marketing ploy than a truelly unbiased third party look at safe driving ability.