I hate to say it, but Virginians don’t have the best reputation when it comes to driving. Now, before anyone gets up in arms and reminds me that they are, in fact, an exceptional driver, let me just say that I don’t doubt it. And like most things, where you grew up in the state will have a lot to say about how you drive and what challenges you face on the roadways – from other drivers to construction cones to deer.
However, Allstate Insurance creates an annual report based on national accident report coverage, ranking the “worst” 200 driving cities in the nation. For the latest data from 2014, Virginia had 7 cities make the list. You probably won’t be surprised to see that more densely populated cities landed on the list, but you might just be surprised to see which cities they are. (Please note that the Allstate list ranks driver from “best” to “worst”, so the lower the ranking, the better the drivers and vice-versa.)
- Hampton
Leah Nicole / flickr
Matt Barnett / flickr Coming in at #42 for the “best of the worst” on Allstate’s list, Hampton drivers average an accident every 10.5 years, putting them -4.7% below the national average.
- Newport News
Lyricmac [CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0] / Wikimedia Commons
Virginia Department of Transportation / flickr Hampton’s neighbor comes in #48 on Allstate’s list. Newport News drivers can expect to experience an accident every 10.2 years, which is -1.7% below the national average.
- Chesapeake
City of Chesapeake / Facebook
City of Chesapeake / Facebook Another coastal city to make the list is Chesapeake with a #64 ranking from Allstate and an average of 9.7 years between accidents. This means that Chesapeake drivers have accidents at a rate of 2.8% higher than the national average.
- Richmond
Bill Dickinson / flickr
Will Weaver / flickr Virginia’s capital city scored a #97 spot on Allstate’s list with an average of 9.2 years between accidents, which is 9.3% higher than the national average.
- Virginia Beach
Jason Pratt / flickr
Serge Melki / flickr Actually, the big surprise here is, when thinking about population rates being linked to accident rates, Virginia Beach didn’t appear lower on the list as it is the biggest city in the state. However, coming in at #111 on Allstate’s list, it is in the bottom half of the nation’s worst drivers with accidents averaging every 8.9 years. This means that Virginia Beach drivers are 12.7% more likely to have an accident than the national average.
- Norfolk
Missy Schmidt / flickr
Jukie Bot / flickr As Allstate’s #143 ranked worst driving city in the nation, drivers in Norfolk average an accident every 8 years. This gives them a 24.3% higher likelihood of having an accident than the national average.
- Alexandria
William F. Yurasko / flickr
m01229 / flickr And there it is. I think we kind of all KNEW that the Northern Virginia / DC Metropolitan area would come in pretty high on the list. And Alexandria brought it home as Allstate’s #193 “worst drivers” city. Drivers in the metro area average an accident every 5.9 years, which is 68.2% higher than the national average.
Of course, driving anywhere has it’s risks. And, like we mentioned before, the more traffic, the higher the likelihood of accidents. To see the Allstate’s complete list of the 200 worst cities for driving, click here. But in the meantime, what are some of the driving challenges you face in your part of Virginia? And what do you think makes the cities we’ve mentioned here rougher places for drivers than others? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Leah Nicole / flickr
Matt Barnett / flickr
Coming in at #42 for the “best of the worst” on Allstate’s list, Hampton drivers average an accident every 10.5 years, putting them -4.7% below the national average.
Lyricmac [CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0] / Wikimedia Commons
Virginia Department of Transportation / flickr
Hampton’s neighbor comes in #48 on Allstate’s list. Newport News drivers can expect to experience an accident every 10.2 years, which is -1.7% below the national average.
City of Chesapeake / Facebook
Another coastal city to make the list is Chesapeake with a #64 ranking from Allstate and an average of 9.7 years between accidents. This means that Chesapeake drivers have accidents at a rate of 2.8% higher than the national average.
Bill Dickinson / flickr
Will Weaver / flickr
Virginia’s capital city scored a #97 spot on Allstate’s list with an average of 9.2 years between accidents, which is 9.3% higher than the national average.
Jason Pratt / flickr
Serge Melki / flickr
Actually, the big surprise here is, when thinking about population rates being linked to accident rates, Virginia Beach didn’t appear lower on the list as it is the biggest city in the state. However, coming in at #111 on Allstate’s list, it is in the bottom half of the nation’s worst drivers with accidents averaging every 8.9 years. This means that Virginia Beach drivers are 12.7% more likely to have an accident than the national average.
Missy Schmidt / flickr
Jukie Bot / flickr
As Allstate’s #143 ranked worst driving city in the nation, drivers in Norfolk average an accident every 8 years. This gives them a 24.3% higher likelihood of having an accident than the national average.
William F. Yurasko / flickr
m01229 / flickr
And there it is. I think we kind of all KNEW that the Northern Virginia / DC Metropolitan area would come in pretty high on the list. And Alexandria brought it home as Allstate’s #193 “worst drivers” city. Drivers in the metro area average an accident every 5.9 years, which is 68.2% higher than the national average.
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