“They don’t drive like this where I come from.”
I hear this complaint about “bad Tucson drivers” nearly every time I hit the road with my husband, who comes from a tiny town in Nebraska.
“Well, honey,” I say, “they also don’t drive like this in Southern California, where I grew up. It’s a LOT worse there.”
A new report supports my contention that Tucsonans are not so terrible behind the wheel.
Tucson ranks No. 2 for the least traffic accidents among cities its size, based on a study of the top 200 largest cities by Allstate, which insures about 10 percent of drivers here.
Granted, we did drop a notch: Last year we were the safest among cities our size (500,000 to 749,999 people).
Who bumped us from No. 1? Milwaukee.
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Still, not bad for Tucson, a city made up of lots of students and lots of older seasonal residents.
“You’re still doing really well in terms of where you’re ranking,” said Chelci Vaughan, a spokeswoman for Allstate.
Overall, out of 200 cities ranked based on factors such as population, population density and precipitation, Tucson ranks 43rd. Now, that is a big drop from last year, when Tucson was ranked 20th out of 200 cities overall.
The point of the study is not to discourage drivers, but to make them more aware of how well — or not — they’re doing.
“Instead, we want the report to challenge drivers in Tucson to make positive changes to their driving,” Julio Galindo, an Allstate agency owner in Tucson, said in a news release.
Here’s one thing to know: Seventy percent of accidents happen when vehicles are going 35 mph or less.
With cell phones, MP3 players, GPS systems and other electronics, it’s harder than ever to concentrate.
“Focusing on the task at hand — driving — can be harder than ever before, and it’s the most important thing to do,” Vaughan said.
In a parking lot or traffic jam, when people are driving slowly, it’s hard to keep off that cell phone.
“It’s a tempting time to pick up your phone, answer a call, shoot a text, but it’s the time to be most vigilant,” Vaughan said.
The safest city out of all 200? Fort Collins, Colorado, where the average driver experiences an auto accident every 14.2 years. According to the report, the average driver in Tucson will experience an auto collision every 10.4 years.
Down the road
- The speed limit will be reduced to 25 mph around the Orange Grove Road (from Via Ranchero to Willowhaven Drive) improvement project.
The project, expected to be finished by mid-December, includes widening Orange Grove to three lanes with a center two-way, left-turn lane; right-turn lanes at Caravan Lane and Desert Palms Drive; and paved shoulders for bicycles.
The construction schedule will change in case of bad weather.
- Watch out for workers on General Hitchcock Highway (Mount Lemmon Highway) during the day Monday-Thursday for at least two weeks, depending on weather.
- A pavement improvement project is underway on West Speedway, from North Main Avenue to North Second Avenue.
On Tuesday, crews will start removing asphalt and repaving Speedway. Motorists can expect road closures between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m. through Sept. 11.
More road work
Good news, pedestrians. Workers are putting in access ramps and making driveway improvements along major roadways.
For drivers, this means there will be lane restrictions in place while the work is being done, which will take about two weeks per site. Work, expected to be done by early October, will be done at these locations:
- South Alvernon Way – East 22nd Street to East 33rd Street
- East Golf Links Road — South Craycroft Road to South Kolb Road
- East Broadway — North Wilmot Road to North Pantano Road
- North Craycroft Road — East Grant Road to the Rillito River
- North Stone Avenue — West Wetmore Road to West River Road
Send your Road Q questions by email to roadrunner@tucson.com or to 4850 S. Park Ave., Tucson, AZ 85714. Please include first and last names.
