Insurance company ranks the safest and riskiest drivers in the U.S.

Hawaii’s laid-back island vibes apparently produce good drivers.

A new report from Allstate says Honolulu has the safest drivers in the United States, while Albuquerque, New Mexico, has the worst.

The insurance company used anonymized data from its Drivewise app to measure risky driving behavior, specifically, using the phone behind the wheel, driving at high speeds and hard braking. It ranked 100 of the nation’s most populated metro areas.

Behind Honolulu, the top of Allstate’s list included Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Oregon and Virginia Beach.

At the bottom, Albuquerque was joined by Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Murrieta/Temecula/Menifee, California; Fresno, California; and Stockton, California.

Safest Drivers by Behavior:

• Overall best: Honolulu 
• Hard brake the least: Honolulu 
• Drive at high speed the least: Honolulu 
• Handle their phones the least: San Jose, California 

Riskiest Drivers by Behavior:

• Overall: Albuquerque, New Mexico 
• Hard brake the most: Bakersfield, California 
• Drive at high speed the most: Port St. Lucie, Florida 
• Handle their phones the most: Providence, Rhode Island 

“Speeding, distracted, and impaired driving cause tens of thousands of preventable deaths on U.S. roads each year,” Katie Irey, senior vice president at Allstate, told USA TODAY. “This usage-based insurance data helps educate about common risky driving behaviors like phone handling, speeding and hard braking to promote safe driving and help save lives on the road.” 

Regional Trends

• San Jose, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Bernadino, and Portland, Oregon, are among the top 10 areas where drivers handle their phones the least.
• Madison, Cleveland, Des Moines, Minneapolis, and St. Louis are among the top 10 areas that avoid decelerating more than seven mph in one second (hard braking).
• Seattle, Spokane, and Portland in the Pacific Northwest and Buffalo, Albany, Rochester, and Allentown in the Northeast are among the top 10 areas that avoid driving over 80 mph.

View the full report and methodology here.

The 100 most populous U.S. urban areas by driving behavior (2004)

Overall Rank	U.S. Urban Area	Hard Braking Rank	High-Speed Rank	Phone Handling Rank
1	Honolulu, HI	1	1	18
2	Minneapolis, MN	6	8	13
3	Seattle, WA	22	5	6
4	Portland, OR	38	4	9
5	Virginia Beach, VA	32	11	14
6	Richmond, VA	21	30	22
7	Spokane, WA	7	2	69
8	Washington, DC	49	12	17
9	Harrisburg, PA	8	45	35
10	Reno, NV	41	14	33
11	Cleveland, OH	3	28	60
12	San Antonio, TX	16	68	8
13	Baltimore, MD	48	13	32
14	Columbus, OH	14	46	34
15	Dayton, OH	12	42	42
16	St. Louis, MO	9	60	29
17	Cincinnati, OH	11	39	51
18	Des Moines, IA	4	16	83
19	Kansas City, MO	17	49	40
20	Jacksonville, FL	15	79	16
21	Wichita, KS	28	17	70
22	Louisville, KY	24	54	43
23	Indianapolis, IN	43	21	59
24	Rochester, NY	54	9	63
25	El Paso, TX	33	20	74
26	Houston, TX	51	62	15
27	Milwaukee, WI	23	24	85
28	Akron, OH	37	3	92
29	San Francisco, CA	84	44	4
30	Charleston, SC	20	31	84
31	Syracuse, NY	29	25	81
32	New York, NY	55	27	53
33	Knoxville, TN	59	22	54
34	Salt Lake City, UT	42	75	21
35	Providence, RI	5	35	100
36	New Orleans, LA	19	26	95
37	Chattanooga, TN	62	23	55
38	Ogden/Layton, UT	30	93	20
39	Tulsa, OK	34	57	52
40	Dallas, TX	45	89	10
41	Winston-Salem, NC	71	37	37
42	Palm Bay/Melbourne, FL	13	99	36
43	Pensacola, FL	36	34	79
44	Oklahoma City, OK	46	56	47
45	Tampa, FL	56	67	26
46	Boston, MA	10	43	97
47	Little Rock, AR	31	90	30
48	Madison, WI	2	70	80
49	Nashville, TN	27	81	45
50	Pittsburgh, PA	50	19	86
51	San Jose, CA	90	64	1
52	Las Vegas, NV	75	76	5
53	Worcester, MA	26	38	93
54	Lancaster, PA	39	47	71
55	Albany, NY	57	7	94
56	Springfield, MA	25	36	99
57	Orlando, FL	44	86	31
58	Buffalo, NY	68	6	89
59	Atlanta, GA	88	74	2
60	Colorado Springs, CO	76	66	23
61	Port St. Lucie, FL	18	100	48
62	Kissimmee/St. Cloud, FL	47	91	28
63	Toledo, OH	69	32	67
64	Austin, TX	74	78	19
65	Provo/Orem, UT	35	98	39
66	Sacramento, CA	97	63	12
67	Bridgeport/Stamford, CT	65	18	90
68	Raleigh, NC	89	40	46
69	Charlotte, NC	58	77	41
70	San Diego, CA	77	96	3
71	Omaha, NE	61	33	88
72	Cape Coral, FL	70	55	58
73	Sarasota, FL	66	41	78
74	Los Angeles, CA	94	80	11
75	Chicago, IL	52	73	61
76	McAllen, TX	64	29	98
77	Allentown, PA	91	10	91
78	Concord, CA	92	52	50
79	Hartford, CT	72	59	64
80	Philadelphia, PA	81	48	68
81	Durham, NC	87	61	49
82	Bakersfield, CA	100	15	82
83	Columbia, SC	40	83	75
84	Denver, CO	67	58	73
85	Detroit, MI	86	87	25
86	Riverside/San Bernardino, CA	96	95	7
87	New Haven, CT	53	69	77
88	Phoenix, AZ	79	97	27
89	Mission Viejo/Lake Forest, CA	95	85	24
90	Miami, FL	73	94	38
91	Tucson, AZ	82	51	76
92	Grand Rapids, MI	60	88	66
93	Denton, TX	78	82	57
94	Memphis, TN	85	72	62
95	Birmingham, AL	63	92	65
96	Stockton, CA	93	84	44
97	Fresno, CA	98	53	72
98	Murrieta/Temecula/Menifee, CA	99	71	56
99	Baton Rouge, LA	83	50	96
100	Albuquerque, NM	80	65	87