D.C. drivers are the nation’s fourth worst — but better than Boston or Baltimore, report says

Traffic in downtown Washington on Jan. 19. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

D.C. drivers were ranked the fourth-worst in the nation in a new report from a car insurer — beaten in the race to the bottom only by drivers in two Massachusetts cities and Baltimore.

Allstate’s “America’s Best Drivers Report” examines insurance claims each year “to determine the likelihood drivers in America’s 200 largest cities will experience a vehicle collision compared to the national average.” Boston, notorious for its wild motorists, was at the bottom of the heap, with drivers going just 3.6 years between claims on average; Baltimore was not much better, with drivers going just 4.2 years between claims.

D.C. tied with Worcester, Mass. — drivers in the nation’s capital and the city about 40 miles west of Boston both go 4.3 years between claims on average. D.C. bested Worcester when it came to hard-braking events per 1,000 miles, however, racking up 21.5 to Worcester’s 23.6 and securing slot No. 197 on the Allstate list of 200 cities. Put another way: Drivers in D.C. are 132 percent more likely to file a car insurance claim than the national average.

Kansas had much to celebrate, meanwhile, with Kansas City drivers ranking No. 1 and Olathe, Kan., drivers coming in at No. 10. Two other Kansas cities appeared in the Top 20.

If this seems unfair — can drivers on the Great Plains really be compared to drivers on the Beltway? — know that Allstate did control for population density and annual precipitation.

“Allstate’s auto policies represent nearly 10 percent of all U.S. auto policies, making this report a realistic snapshot of what’s happening on America’s roadways,” the report said.