Daily Loaf

With the holiday season a dangerous time for drivers to be on the road, Allstate Insurance Company today released a study identifying three Florida metropolitan areas as the top “hotspots” for fatal teen driving crashes during the holidays. The study includes data for metropolitan areas around the country, and helps to kick off the company’s national Home for the Holidays teen safe driving campaign.

Richmond, VA

The Allstate Holiday Teen Driving Hotspots Study found that the 10 deadliest hotspots for fatal teen crashes among the nation’s 50 largest metro areas (a central city and its surrounding counties) from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day are:

1. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
2. Jacksonville, FL
3. Orlando-Kissimmee, FL
4. Kansas City, MO-KS
5. Birmingham-Hoover, AL
6. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
7. Las Vegas-Paradise, NV
8. Oklahoma City, OK
9. Louisville, KY-IN

The safest 10 cities?

Salt Lake City, UT

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH

Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI

New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH

Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA

(L.A.? Really?)

In a press release, Allstate says their study is to pressure lawmakers to pass Graduated License Laws and also spur family conversation:

Today’s release of study findings by Allstate continues the company’s national Home For The Holidays public awareness and policy campaign, which also calls for a national federal standard for graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws and urges Congress to enact the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act.

However, the focus of the campaign is to encourage parents to have the safe driving talk with their teens this holiday season, as motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 killer of American teens. The perfect way to help make that conversation happen is by using the Allstate Parent-Teen Driving Contract, which helps families lay out expectations for smart driving decisions and consequences if those expectations are not met.

It’s the most important gift a parent and teen can give one another this holiday season. It’s a conversation and a promise. And best of all, it’s free.

Through its national Parent-Teen Driving Contract Sign-Up Drive, Allstate encourages parents and teens to download the contract from www.allstate.com/teen and discuss the importance of safe driving. By signing the contract, parents can help ensure their teens return home safely this holiday season and all year long.

(Photo Credit: Hauke Sandhaus/Flickr)