KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Allstate's 2009 'America's Best Drivers Report" ranks Kansas City, Kan., drivers 15th out of the nation's 200 biggest cities.
Kansas City, Mo., ranks 30th and Overland Park, Kan., ranks 58th. All three cities improved their numbers over last year.
"I think it's a more stressful lifestyle in those two cities," says Kansas City, Kan., resident David Jones. He says he isn't surprised his city pulled out ahead of the other Kansas City and Overland Park.
"I think they're a little bit faster than we are in KCK. You can see the difference when you go into Johnson county than when you go into KCK."
"There's a bit more agression in the streets downtown around Crown Center," argues Overland Park driver Tim Simmons. "And in some of the tricky bits in the intersections, they're a bit bizarre."
Simmons is British but has lived in Johnson county for 12 years.
"I think people are actually quite sensible where we are," Simmons said. Of the five large U.S. cities in which he's lived, he boasts the Kansas City metro by far has the best drivers.
The report ranks the cities according to how often drivers crash within city limits. Allstate officials say auto crashes have declined over the last few years, but add that crash deaths still average 40,000 every year.
"Human error is the biggest cause of accidents," said Christopher Lovest of Allstate's West Central Region. "Drivers in the Kansas City Metro are making great progress toward keeping America's roadways safer."
St. Louis ranks lowest on the list of Missouri cities.
For more on America's Best Drivers, and to download the entire report,
visit Allstate's Web site.
