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By Ana Ley, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
Sept. 19--MCALLEN -- An Allstate study named drivers in the Rio Grande Valley the safest in Texas, but the ranking may be questionable for a region where many drivers are uninsured and unaccounted for.
The study, released earlier this month by the Allstate Corp., compared car collision frequency in America's 200 largest cities, ranking McAllen 46th and Brownsville 36th.
The cities were ranked as Texas' safest. According to the annual study, Brownsville drivers are 7.6 percent less likely to crash compared to the national average, while McAllen drivers are 4.9 percent less likely.
Brownsville took the top spot for the fourth consecutive year, while McAllen came in second for the second year in a row.
But the favorable rankings may be contingent upon a large percentage of uninsured drivers who don't report collisions.
"The study simply looks at our collision data among Allstate customers," Allstate spokeswoman Kate Hollcraft said. "Specifically, it looks at claim data as a result of collisions."
As of June, the Texas Department of Insurance listed all four counties in the Valley among the top 10 for percentage of uninsured vehicles in the state.
The most recent auto insurance figures show about 29 percent of vehicles in Hidalgo County are not matched to insurance policies, ranking it sixth on a list of Texas counties with the largest percentage of uninsured vehicles. Cameron and Starr counties are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. Willacy is ranked ninth.
Statewide, about 22 percent of vehicles -- which translates to 3,732,174 vehicles in Texas -- are uninsured, according to the statistics.
Jerry Hagins, a spokesman for the state's Department of Insurance, noted that Allstate is not the largest provider of auto insurance in the state.
"State Farm (Insurance) has the highest market share," Hagins said. "When you see a study like that, it's good to have those considerations."
State Farm Insurance has a market share of 18 percent in Texas among auto insurance companies. Farmer's Insurance follows with 10.5 percent, and Progressive has the third-largest share. Allstate has the fourth-largest market share at 4.3 percent.
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Ana Ley covers business and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.
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To see more of The Monitor, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.themonitor.com.
Copyright (c) 2010, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail services@mctinfoservices.com, or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544).
Sept. 19--MCALLEN -- An Allstate study named drivers in the Rio Grande Valley the safest in Texas, but the ranking may be questionable for a region where many drivers are uninsured and unaccounted for.
The study, released earlier this month by the Allstate Corp., compared car collision frequency in America's 200 largest cities, ranking McAllen 46th and Brownsville 36th.
The cities were ranked as Texas' safest. According to the annual study, Brownsville drivers are 7.6 percent less likely to crash compared to the national average, while McAllen drivers are 4.9 percent less likely.
Brownsville took the top spot for the fourth consecutive year, while McAllen came in second for the second year in a row.
But the favorable rankings may be contingent upon a large percentage of uninsured drivers who don't report collisions.
"The study simply looks at our collision data among Allstate customers," Allstate spokeswoman Kate Hollcraft said. "Specifically, it looks at claim data as a result of collisions."
As of June, the Texas Department of Insurance listed all four counties in the Valley among the top 10 for percentage of uninsured vehicles in the state.
The most recent auto insurance figures show about 29 percent of vehicles in Hidalgo County are not matched to insurance policies, ranking it sixth on a list of Texas counties with the largest percentage of uninsured vehicles. Cameron and Starr counties are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. Willacy is ranked ninth.
Statewide, about 22 percent of vehicles -- which translates to 3,732,174 vehicles in Texas -- are uninsured, according to the statistics.
Jerry Hagins, a spokesman for the state's Department of Insurance, noted that Allstate is not the largest provider of auto insurance in the state.
"State Farm (Insurance) has the highest market share," Hagins said. "When you see a study like that, it's good to have those considerations."
State Farm Insurance has a market share of 18 percent in Texas among auto insurance companies. Farmer's Insurance follows with 10.5 percent, and Progressive has the third-largest share. Allstate has the fourth-largest market share at 4.3 percent.
--
Ana Ley covers business and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.
-----
To see more of The Monitor, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.themonitor.com.
Copyright (c) 2010, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail services@mctinfoservices.com, or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544).
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