Joliet ranks in the top quarter of safest driving cities in the country, according to an annual report produced by the Allstate Insurance Co.

The city climbed 40 spots over last year, landing 56th on the Allstate America's Best Drivers Report based on statistics that say the average Joliet driver has an accident every 10 years. The company ranks the country's 200 largest cities.

The top honor of “America’s Safest Driving City” went to Sioux Falls, S.D., which has held that spot for five of the eight years the company has done the report. Statistics show residents there have an accident every 13.8 years on average.

In Illinois, the only city that did better than Joliet was Rockford, which came in 35th and whose residents on average have an accident every 11 years. Following Joliet, was Aurora, 81st; Naperville, 109th; and Chicago, 152nd.

The company also said that car crash fatalities are at the lowest level they’ve been since 1949, but still average more than 32,000 every year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For the past eight years, Allstate actuaries have conducted an in-depth analysis of company claim data to determine the likelihood drivers in America’s 200 largest cities will experience a vehicle collision compared to the national average. 

A weighted average of the two-year numbers determined the annual percentages. The report defines an auto crash as any collision resulting in a property damage claim. Allstate’s auto policies represent about 10 percent of all U.S. auto policies, making the report a realistic snapshot of what’s happening on America’s roadways, company officials said.

To view this year or previous years' reports, go to www.allstatenewsroom.com.