We’re Number One!

Just so I don’t go crazy, I want to make some sense out of the new claim that Sioux Falls is the safest driving city in the nation.

It’s true:

Study: Sioux Falls is safest driving city
By DIRK LAMMERS, Associated Press Writer
Wed May 24, 4:34 AM ET

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Motorists in Sioux Falls — where the streets are laid out sensibly and the traffic enforcement is strong — are the nation’s safest and Midwest cities account for half of those in the top 10, an insurance study shows.

Researchers with Allstate Insurance Co. found that each motorist in this growing city in southeast South Dakota has on average one accident every 14.3 years — 30 percent better than the national rate of one every 10 years.

That’s fine – the reasoning is sound and I’m proud to know that I’ve helped this number by having zero accidents in 27.5 years. But here’s what’s getting me confused.

Growing up, I was always told the opposite. I was told that Sioux Falls had the worst drivers in the nation. And I always believed this claim: every time I was nearly hit on my bike, or in a car, or while crossing the street, or while mowing the lawn… you get the idea.

Seriously – I see more stupid drivers per capita in Sioux Falls than anywhere else I’ve ever been. But I couldn’t manage to find anything to this effect. So was I making this up my whole life? Did I mishear a report and since then I’ve lived with this misconception in my head?

If anyone has information, or a study, or an old copy of some magazine that can back up this old claim, please email me or post a reply. This is bugging me a lot – I KNOW we were the worst… and now we are the best.

Hooray, I guess?