Mass. drivers among the worst, insurance company says

The Mass. Pike lane on Aug. 8.Matthew J. Lee/Globe staff

The bad driving of Massachusetts residents is legendary. Now, Allstate Insurance Co. says it’s a fact.

The national insurance company on Tuesday released its annual Best Drivers Report and found that the state’s three biggest cites ranked among the four worst driving cities the country. In the survey, Worcester had the worst drivers, followed by Boston, the second worst. Springfield was the fourth worst, just behind Washington, D.C.

Allstate, headquartered in Northbrook, Ill., survey 200 cities, ranking their residents’ driving abilities based on collisions, adjusted for variables such as population and weather. Fort Collins, Colo., has the best drivers, followed by Brownsville, Texas, and Boise, Idaho, according to Allstate.

Boston Allstate agent Jillian Hanley said that Massachusetts drivers shouldn’t be discouraged by the low rankings, but rather work to drive better and move up list.

“Our goal with this report is to make the cities that fall on the bottom of the list safer places to live and raise families,” she said.