Starry-eyed Allstate apologizes for study tying zodiac signs to accident rates

It looks like the stars just weren’t aligned for Allstate.

On Jan. 27, 2011, Allstate released a study indicating that Virgos were nearly 700 percent more likely to be in a car accident in 2010 compared with Scorpios, who were deemed the best drivers. The study also ranked other zodiac signs based on their accident rates.

Your zodiac sign indicates what kind of behind-the-wheel personality you have, astrologers say.

Two days later, the insurance company apologized for the study.

Allstate said the study “led to some confusion around whether astrological signs are part of the underwriting process.”

“Astrological signs have absolutely no role in how we base coverage and set rates. Rating by astrology would not be actuarially sound,” Allstate said in a statement. “We realize that our hard working customers view their insurance expense very seriously. So do we.”

The Allstate study came on the heels of revelations about a supposed reconfiguration of the zodiac chart, practically triggering panic among horoscope devotees. However, most astrologers have dismissed the so-called zodiac shift as erroneous and have sought to reassure horoscope disciples that they should follow the signs that they’ve always followed.

InsuranceQuotes.com recently asked astrologers for their insight into what your zodiac sign says about your driving habits. Unlike the Allstate study, the InsuranceQuotes.com story did not include a comparison between zodiac signs and accident rates.

If you’re eager to find out what your zodiac sign tells you about your behind-the-wheel behavior, read the InsuranceQuotes.com story. By the way, astrologers say Virgos are the safest drivers on the zodiac chart — lending some validity to the Allstate study.

–John Egan