The good news: Akron drivers are better than Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus drivers. The bad news: we've got a long way to go to catch up to Dayton among Ohio's five biggest cities.

Allstate Insurance released it's "Best Drivers" report that ranks Akron 58th on it's list ranking the 200 biggest cities in America. Drivers here stand a chance of being in a wreck, on average, every 10.1 years, slightly less than the national average. Best drivers in the nation? Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where drivers go 13.8 years in between crashes. In Ohio? Dayton, ranking 18th on the list.

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(Allstate Insurance - news release) Cleveland area drivers are among the safest in the U.S., according to the “Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report™.” Allstate Insurance Company (NYSE: ALL) uses Allstate claims data to rank America’s 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency to identify which cities have the safest drivers.

In the 2012 report, Cleveland lands at 63rd on the list. According to the report, the average driver in Cleveland will experience an auto collision every 10 years, which is as likely as the national average of 10 years. Cleveland ranked 59th in the 2011 Best Drivers Report.

Akron ranked 58th on the list. According to the report, the average driver in Akron will experience an auto collision every 10.1 years, which is .7 percent less likely than the national average of 10 years. Akron ranked 49th in the 2011 Best Drivers Report.

“Drivers in Cleveland and Akron are making great progress toward keeping America’s roadways safer,” said Brian Blum, Allstate agency owner in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. “We salute these best drivers and recognize their safe driving skills, which make all of our communities safer places to live, work and raise families.”

The Allstate America’s Best Driver’s Report was created to facilitate an ongoing dialogue on safe driving that saves lives. This year’s top honor of “America’s Safest Driving City” is Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the fifth year the city has held the top spot in the report’s eight-year history. According to the report, the average driver in Sioux Falls will experience an auto collision every 13.8 years, which is 27.6 percent less likely than the national average of 10 years.

Below is a look at how other cities in Ohio finished,

City & Overall Ranking Collision Likelihood Compared to National Average Average Years Between Collisions

Dayton - 18th -14.5 percent 11.7
Akron – 58th -0.7 percent 10.1
Cleveland – 63rd 0 percent 10.0
Cincinnati - 117th 11.4 percent 9.0
Columbus – 135th 16.6 percent 8.6

Car crash fatalities have fallen to their lowest level since 1949, but an average of more than 32,000 occur every year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“It is vital for us to educate American drivers about safe driving behaviors they can practice on the road that will help make our roadways safer,” said Blum. “Minimizing distractions, obeying traffic laws, and using your car's safety features like turn signals and headlights, are all ways to be safer, no matter where you drive.

The Report

For the past eight years, Allstate actuaries have conducted an in-depth analysis of company claim data to determine the likelihood drivers in America’s 200 largest cities will experience a vehicle collision compared to the national average. Internal property damage reported claims were analyzed over a two-year period (from January 2009 to December 2010) to ensure the findings would not be impacted by external influences such as weather or road construction.
A weighted average of the two-year numbers determined the annual percentages. The report defines an auto crash as any collision resulting in a property damage claim. Allstate’s auto policies represent about 10 percent of all U.S. auto policies, making this report a realistic snapshot of what’s happening on America’s roadways.