Allstate report: Santa Rosa 12th safest city to drive in California

<p>Are Santa Rosa drivers becoming more reckless?</p><p>The city slipped to 12th place Tuesday on an annual list of the safest places in which to drive in California. The ranking, compiled by Allstate Insurance Co., is based on an analysis of accident claims.</p><p>Santa Rosa was ranked the third-safest place to drive in California in 2008 and 2009, then jumped to No. 2 in 2010. But last year, the city slipped to fifth place on the annual list, only to drop again this year.</p><p>Phil Telgenhoff, Allstate's field vice president in California, said drivers should not be discouraged by their city's ranking.</p><p>"Instead, we want the report to challenge drivers to make positive changes to their driving habits that will in turn make their city a safer place to live, work and raise families," Telgenhoff said in a statement.</p><p>The average driver in Santa Rosa has a crash every 9.4 years, according to the survey.</p><p>Nationally, Santa Rosa ranked 94th in traffic safety, sliding more than 20 spots from previous years in Allstate's annual analysis of accident claims in the nation's 200 largest cities.</p><p>The top city this year in California was Visalia, which ranked 24th in the nation with an average driver crash rate of one every 11 years.</p><p>Nationally, Sioux Falls, S.D., was again named the safest city in which to drive in America, the fifth year the city has held the top spot in the eight-year history of the Allstate report.</p><p>This year's numbers were based on claims filed in 2009 and 2010, not police or city traffic reports.</p><p>The ranking doesn't affect insurance rates, officials have said.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.</p>