The third annual consumer safe driving survey, commissioned by TheSteelAlliance, gives Boston an F -- making it the most unsafe of all cities surveyed. Seven other major cities -- Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington, DC earned grades ranging from "A" to "D." TheSteelAlliance Safety Grade provides a ranking for each city surveyed, comparing the safety of drivers across the U.S. by assessing the percentage of aggressive driving acts that have been committed in the past month (at the time the survey was conducted). Grades for the 2001 survey are: Boston, F; Chicago, B; Cleveland, A; Dallas, B; Detroit, A; Los Angeles, C; Miami, D; Washington, DC, D. While drivers still rate seat belts and airbags as effective methods of protection during an automobile accident, an increasing number (7.5 percent increase over the 2000 survey) mentioned steel as an effective protector. When asked about what safety component of an automobile they considered the most effective, the majority of the drivers (72 percent) said that in the case of a car crash, steel protection of any kind would effectively protect them and their family. In addition, driving a car designed for safety was offered more as a defense against aggressive driving in 2001 that it was for 2000 or 1999 (8 percent versus 6 percent and 3 percent, respectively).