PORTLAND — Sometimes practice doesn’t make perfect, no matter what your mom or dad said.
It’s not your imagination, despite our rainy environs, Portlanders are some of the worst drivers in the country when it rains.
That’s according to an analysis released Wednesday by the Allstate Insurance Company.
Portlanders are the 190th worst drivers in the country when it rains or snows, according to Allstate. Of the 200 largest cities, Baltimore has the worst drivers in wet or snowy conditions. Seattle and Tacoma are much higher on the list, at 179th and 167th, respectively.
The average driver gets in an accident every 10 years, but in Portland that average is 5.9 years.
Portlanders are far more likely to slam on the brakes suddenly, according to Allstate’s analysis, with Rose City motorists logging 22.4 hard-braking events per 1,000 miles compare to the national average of 19. A hard-braking incident consists of slowing down up to 10 miles per hour in a one-second period.
That type of driving behavior is more dangerous on wet roads in particular, where braking distances increase 27 percent versus dry pavement, according to the insurance company.
Drivers who slam on the brakes usually are following too closely or could be distracted by their cellphone or other devices.
The wet driving rankings come on the heels of Allstate’s 14th annual report on America’s drivers, released in August. Portland came in 190th on that list as well.
Portland has plunged three spots in the rankings from last year.
Don’t get high and mighty, Portlanders; Vancouver or Hillsboro, Ore., drivers aren’t bringing you down in the rankings. Portland drivers are more likely to have an accident than the metro area overall, where drivers average an accident every eight years.
Vancouver has the 149th worst wet weather drivers in the country, according to the rankings.
Brownsville, Texas, has the best wet weather drivers in the country. Boise, Idaho, comes in third.
