CHOKEPOINTS

Study claims this PNW city made the biggest strides in driving safety in the nation

Jun 22, 2025, 6:00 AM

driving safety pnw...

Cars are on the road during a morning commute heading in and out of Seattle on I-5. (Photo: Karen Ducey, Getty Images)

(Photo: Karen Ducey, Getty Images)

As millions of Americans embark on record-breaking amounts of domestic travel, the Pacific Northwest qualified as having the biggest improvement in driving safety in the nation.

Bellevue ranked No. 1 as the most improved driving city, according to the 2025 Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report, climbing 133 spots on the list from 2015, the last time this data was collected.

Other PNW cities, including Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Salem, and Anchorage ranked among the most improved in the nation.

“Drivers in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska are safer behind the wheel than they were a decade ago, with some of the largest reductions in collisions nationwide,” the study read. “Bellevue, Washington, leads the way to earn the title of most improved city. Other Northwest cities making significant strides include Anchorage, Alaska, and Portland, Oregon.”

Seattle currently ranks No. 100 in the nation, 84 spots higher than its 2015 ranking, just edging out Portland’s No. 102 ranking (up 81 spots). Tacoma trails slightly at No. 110 on the list, up 54 spots.

Bellevue ranks No. 41, while Salem ranked No. 54, up 66 spots.

“This data also shows that cities in the Pacific Northwest make ideal road trip destinations as they’re both safe and scenic!” the study claimed.

Nationwide trends in driving safety

The report revealed that Texas leads the nation in safe driving, with four cities in the top 20. One city in Texas, Brownsville, was named the safest city in America for driving.

For the most dangerous driving cities, Boston was named the most collision-prone city in the nation, where drivers are nearly 3.5 times as likely to be in a collision compared to the national average. Seven of the 10 cities with the highest collision rates are located in the Northeast, including Boston, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia.

Three cities in California rounded out the top 10 for the most dangerous cities to drive—Los Angeles, Glendale, and Oakland.

First launched in 2005, the Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report revisits collision data every decade to reveal surprising shifts in driving safety across the country.

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