Which American city has the worst drivers?

[Jazzman]

Pretty self-explainatory. I've been to a lot of different cities in the U.S., there seems to be one, and sometimes only one, thing in common amongst all of them. All of them have idiotic drivers. I just got home from school and had to put up with quite a few dumb ass drivers myself (Friday rush hour, baby). So I got to wondering: which city in the U.S. has the worst drivers? I have no idea, I think drivers everywhere are meatheads if you ask me.


EDIT: Mods, could you edit the poll? It seems I put "Houston" twice. I meant to put Philadelphia on the list, so please replace one of the Houstons with a Philly. Thanks.

[Dampyre]

I don't know but Chicago has to be up there. Lots of lousy-ass drivers around these parts.

[Daniel_18]

Miami.

[Enzo]

I vote Atlanta.

Nothing scientific. But everytime I've tooled around there I have never ceased to be amazed by the number of reckless idiots cruising along with me. And apparently they do not install turn signals in any vehicle sold there.

But I give them credit for keeping the freeways moving at a good clip (when there isn't a mega-jam). Maybe there is a law that 75 is the minimum speed on any fwy in metro ATL, which is fine with me. I could swear all the signs say 55 though.....

Miami is a close second.

[Jasonhouse]

Not trying to start anything, but Chicago has nothing on Miami.

I've been all over the eastern US, and the two that always stick out are DC (especially the burbs. omg!) and Miami.

Miami is easily the worst according to my experiences, and what I hear from other friends. Miami was even worse than Puerto Rico, which I had always heard had notoriously bad drivers. In Miami, it seems that running red lights is a serious problem, as traffic control devices are merely considered "optional advice" and not something legal that needs to be obeyed.

[Dampyre]

I vote Atlanta.

Nothing scientific. But everytime I've tooled around there I have never ceased to be amazed by the number of reckless idiots cruising along with me. And apparantly they do not install turn signals in any vehicle sold there.

But I give them credit for keeping the freeways moving at a good clip (when there isn't a mega-jam). Maybe there is a law that 75 is the minimum speed on any fwy in metro ATL, which is fine with me. I could swear all the signs say 55 though.....

Atlanta drivers are certainly better than Chicago's.

[Daniel_18]

as traffic control devices are merely considered "optional advice" and not something legal that needs to be obeyed.


:yes:

[gripja]

jersey ;)

[Enzo]

Atlanta drivers are certainly better than Chicago's.

That may be true, and I don't have much experience because I most often use public transit there. But having been a car passenger in the central neighborhoods numerous times, I really didn't notice any widespread foolishness in Chicago. The burbs may be another story though.

[bobdreamz]

Seriously....this isn't something I'm proud about but Miami has the worst drivers in the US.

[ChrisLA]

From my experience

NYC has the most aggressive, but as long as you keep moving along you get respect.

Los Angeles: the most violent and the quickest to shoot or fight than any city I lived in. Blowing your horn, you're asking for a fight, unlike NYC where everyone does it. Also from what I've seen besides San Jose, LA has the fastest drivers (freeway only when traffic is light, which is rare). One rule you need to learn in LA, don't use signals to change lanes, it's a no no. A friend from NYC learned this last week during his visit; no one would let him over when he tried this.

Chicago: Crazy driver’s period. For some reason Thursday's always was interesting around the loop. Many seemed to argue or fight. Clark & Wacker Drive was a hot spot, and my co-workers and I would just credit it the being close to the weekend when people in the city gets crazy. We were used to witnessing, or hearing every few mins an argument from our office window.

San Francisco: Drivers are actually quite courteous compared to LA. Unlike LA they will at least yield when you put your signal on to change lanes.

Fresno: Dumbest drivers, no one ever use their mirrors to back up. They start the car put in reverse without checking and go. Never fails every time I go back to Fresno, I see someone either hit another car, or have a near miss in a shopping center. Also this city is the speed bump capital in the world, I've never seen so many in one city.

[destroybananas]

Seattle...cutting infront of you and not speeding up to the speed limit at least, they stay below the speed limit only to piss you off!!

[the pope]

hmm.....

depending on what kind of driver you are, detroit is a great city.....for lead foots.

I'm not trying to turn this into a "my city drives faster than your city thread", but on a typical stretch of I-696 the average speed is well above 75 when its posted 60-65. If your headed downtown through I-75 and your're not doing at least 80 (note both these roads are the furthest thing from straight), expect to be honked at, given the finger, or buzzed by.

If that's what you're in to......

[ChrisLA]

Oh almost forgot, tailgating is quite popular in Los Angeles no matter how fast you're driving. I'm was guilty of this when I was younger, but no longer.

[hudkina]

That stretch of I-75 going from Lincoln Park up over the Rouge River and into the Southwest side is a pretty crazy area to drive sometimes. He is right about the going over 80 thing. I guess everyone assumes that since the cops aren't around they can go that fast. And with all the semis on their way to the bridge, everyone is dodging in and out of their paths.

[the pope]

yeah, cops can't pull you over when there's no place for them to park. I-75 has a lot of stretches like that.......and since they don't use helicopters for traffic enforcement (last time i checked)

[shoowaa1]

You guys left out metro Denver where theres a tendency to run stop signs and even sleep (Denver drivers are amoung the sleepiest in the country:eek:). This is one reason my insurance has almost tripled in the last 3 yrs.

Albert (Shoowaa)

[the pope]

out of curiousity, where did your statistic on sleepiness come from albert?

[shoowaa1]

the pope:

It was in our local daily papers a couple months ago or so and I believe it was a study or poll done by the Texas Transportation Institute, but its been awhile and I know if you look on the web under www.rockymountainnews.com or www.denverpost.com you should find the stories.

Albert (Shoowaa)

[Cleveland Brown]

I love Detroit but, we have a light running problem in city and suburbs. I've been nearly been hit by the cops who were running a red light without lights... I guess when the cravings hit Krispy Kream calls...

I did vote for Chicago however because out of the many times I've driven there it seems that whenever your on the freeway everyone drives like they own the entire system and don't understand why you need to enter THEIR lane and have a strong need to defend it. Plus most of the things I've seen bad with Detroit also happen there.

[puffmatty]

poeple in philadelphia don;t seem to understand stop signs. I mean, most people come to a stop(not a full stop, but who does?), but don;t bother to look in the intersection for anyother cars going before them. It's like they stopped so they can go no matter who or what is in their way and they cut everyone else off at the intersection. I found the best thing to do to people like this is to, lay on the horn, and slam on the brakes just before you hit the side of their car. The trick here is to get as close as possible without actually touching their car.:)

[puffmatty]

Also in philly, people don't use redlights. I only drive about 4 miles to and from school everyday, and i see so many cars run redlights I feel like I'm going to get a ticket if wait for it to turn green.

[fflint]

Boston

[Jazzman]

Man, I didn't expect this to turn out like it has (so far). I'm surprised to see so many people vote for Chicago. So far, according to this unscientific poll, Chicago has the worst drivers in the country. Never been there, so I certainly can't confirm it. I do remember St. Louis drivers having a problem with the whole lane changing thing. We've been nearly hit twice by a school bus driver while driving through STL. And I've only passed thru STL, never really stopped anywhere in the city.

Atlanta drivers can be crazy, but are also quite courteous compared to some other drivers.

Drivers on the East Coast (or, Northeast I should say, as in DC, NYC, etc.) seem to run red lights often and use their horn excessively. East Coast drivers don't need a reason to use the horn; they are people who live in New York who have literally worn out their car horns. It's crazy (and annoying).

[dimondpark]

I dont know which city has the worst in the US but compared to the foreign cities Ive lived in, US Drivers are quite tame on the other hand, I think that Los Angeles by far has the best drivers in the entire World.

[Enzo]

Not only have many NYC drivers worn out their horns, many replace the standard issue for louder and more shrill ones. But even with the aggressive tendencies here I would not say NY'ers are bad drivers. If that were true you'd see far more pedestrian deaths. Truth is the drivers here are more intimidated by the pedestrians than the reverse.

And I agree dimondpark, US drivers even at their worst are quite tame compared to those in many countries. Don't even get me started on Rome or Paris. Even in London you'd best watch your step, crosswalks have little meaning and pedestrians are no more than moving targets.

[ColDayMan]

I agree with Jasonhouse. Miami, from my experiences, has THE worst drivers. I've NEVER seen ANYBODY cut off a pedestrian while walking across the street on a red light in my life. He (the car) just went straight through the red light without hesitation. That is one story of thousands ;).

[Go7SD]

Give me Chicago's Kennedy Expressway over the Palmetto Expressway anyday (less lanes of traffic). I had to commute through 3 rush hour cities Miami, Ft Laud., and West Palm Beach during my daily commute. I don't miss it one bit. Indianapolis is a walk in the park now that I live here. I prefer taking mass rapid transit. The car can stay.

[_J_]

I know it's not a huge city, but Portland OR has horrible drivers. Something about trying to be both Oregonians and urbanites at once...

[ellsworth toohey]

I vote Atlanta.

Nothing scientific. But everytime I've tooled around there I have never ceased to be amazed by the number of reckless idiots cruising along with me. And apparently they do not install turn signals in any vehicle sold there.

But I give them credit for keeping the freeways moving at a good clip (when there isn't a mega-jam). Maybe there is a law that 75 is the minimum speed on any fwy in metro ATL, which is fine with me. I could swear all the signs say 55 though.....

Miami is a close second.

Worst: It is either DC, Miami or Atlanta
Best: San Diego

I voted for Atlanta due to the obvious lack of common sense that goes on. I've lived in the Midwest and Northeast prior to Atlanta, and have never witnessed such reckless driving as I have living down here. You've got to wonder about the IQ of some of these drivers. In thick traffic people will fly by you and change lanes without warning, NEVER using a turn signal. Additionally, drivers will drive on the grass and shoulders just to get ahead of a couple of cars. It seems like every day there are major pile-ups that causes multiple deaths.

While we're on the subject, here is an article that talks about the speeding and death correlation for highways.

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/7341610.htm

[SuperstarMark]

Boston has the rudest/most hostile drivers.

Pittsburgh has "dumb" drivers. Going 10 m.p.h. down the main drags - takes FOREVER to get to places sometimes.

[Topher1]

My vote is for Miami, or any city with such a large number of immigrants and here's why (other than the fact that the drivers are just atrocious):
I've been fortunate enough not to get in a major accident down here, but judging from the experiences of my friends, the number of illegal drivers is a problem. If you are in an accident, there is a very very big possiblity that the other party will not have a valid US drivers license, or even more likely, car insurance. Of course, many of these people will just hit and run (which did happen to my car in a PARKING LOT) and you're left to pay for the damages either way...

[silverman124]

I know this isn't in the US. But my French teacher mentioned a crazy rule about driving in Paris. The people coming for the right have the right-away. In other words, if you are traveling on the highway and a car on the right side came onto the highway from a dirt road, you would have to stop for that car. In Paris, or perhaps all of France, if you hit a car coming from the right, it is almost always your fault. If I drove in Paris, I don't think I would survive, especially with their crooked infrastructure and "rond-points."

[scguy]

A city with loads of bad drivers means it is a city FULL of idiots..lol, this is nothing to be proud of people.

[alex1]

houston IMO

[James Raymond]

Denver...

I got cut off four times in one minute this morning while on Southwest Plaza's access road by people coming out of the lot.:P

[grasscat]

I thought Toledo had some really bad drivers and some pretty crappy stretches of highway. It almost seemed like everyone there was just itching to leave as quickly as possible.

As far as Chicago goes, the traffic moves very fast but at least it's all pretty much going at the same speed. The few times I've been there I haven't seen the random idiot driving 30 on the highway.

[grfrednet]

I voted Miami.
During the times I've driven there, I've found Miami drivers to be very fast and reckless. Maybe I'm prejudging a bit since I'm not very familiar with the area as a whole. When I've driven there, I was probably driving like a tourist.

Here in Philadelphia, I'd have to say drivers are impatient. They tend to ride your back bumper. I'm not a slow driver by any stretch, and I've had many drivers pass me on the right side (which isn't a lane - just a shoulder) in my section of the city. However, I wouldn't say Philadelphians are the worst. Just in a hurry sometimes.

New Jersey annoys me. I tend to get stuck behind slow people in the left lane when I'm trying to pass on the highways.

New York City is O.K. with me.

Never had many problems in D.C.. I find it to be conjested alot, thus negating the potential for a-hole drivers to show their stuff.

[hudkina]

Michigan drivers are notorious for not letting people pass in the left lane. And it's gotten to the point that we actually have better luck passing in the right line, but we're also dodging in and out of the paths of semis.

[JivecitySTL]

It's important to distinguish between aggressive drivers and bad drivers. Bad drivers are the ones who don't know how to switch lanes, leave their turn signals on, and go 50 in the fast lane. Aggressive drivers know how to maneuver in the city, and they're actually very skilled. New Yorkers I think are the best drivers. They know how to weave through traffic superbly.

I would say that St. Louis drivers are aloof. They aren't particularly polite, but they aren't overly aggressive either. They just kind of swerve wherever they feel like it. Turn signals are optional, and stop signs actually mean to slow down to about 15 mph and cruise on through.

[Chi-town]

I did vote for Chicago however because out of the many times I've driven there it seems that whenever your on the freeway everyone drives like they own the entire system and don't understand why you need to enter THEIR lane and have a strong need to defend it. Plus most of the things I've seen bad with Detroit also happen there.
Why should I let you in front of me?


I think AAA or some other insurer did a thing on cities, and Chicago came out #1 for dangerous driving habits. That doesn't make us the worst drivers, IMO, just aggressive.


If Chicago wins this thing, it's solely because of the number of people from elsewhere in the Midwest who have driven here and are used to the slow pokes in their own cities, but haven't driven in any of the coastal cities on the list. People in Madison think I'm an asshole when I drive up here, but that doesn't make me a bad driver. I just refuse to drive 55mph on a highway.

[Cleveland Brown]

Chi-town,,

When you have 6 car lengths between you and you speed up to prevent a car from passing you by entering your lane, thats rude, dangerous and illegal.

Slow pokes in Detroit? :hilarious

...I've never heard such things. A lot of old Detroit freeways have little or no shoulders and are underground making it near impossible for cops to catch speeders. Suburbs may be slow but Detroiters drive extremely fast.

[JivecitySTL]

Based on my experiences, Detroiters generally drive faster than Chicagoans.

[Chi-town]

Chi-town,,

When you have 6 car lengths between you and you speed up to prevent a car from passing you by entering your lane, thats rude, dangerous and illegal.
Rude, perhaps. Dangerous? Only if the person decides to move over anyway. Illegal? Not at all.

And show me a six car length gap on one of Chicago's roads or expressways, and I'll buy you a beer.


Slow pokes in Detroit? :hilarious

...I've never heard such things.
I never said such things. "Elsewhere in the Midwest" doesn't mean every single other place in the Midwest. I was mostly referring to people in the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, who drive quite slowly and are quite timidly, and who come to Chicago a lot because it's the nearest major city.

[Cleveland Brown]

Speeding up to prevent traffic from passing has always been illegal.

http://www.sos.state.il.us/publications/rr/rr_chap03.html#passing

Just my pet peeve. If I'm doing 85 and your doing 78, why do you feel the need to prevent me from passing?

[Jazzman]

Personally, if I was in that situation, I'd force my way over one way or another- I have a shorter fuse when I'm behind the wheel. If somebody doesn't want to let me in, well I'm getting one way or another.

[Shawn]

I agree with Jive . . . Boston most likely has the most aggressive drivers in the country, and possibly the rudest (although Im inclined to believe NY takes the cake on that), but most Bostonians are skilled aggressive drivers. Bad drivers are unskilled and do outright stupid things. One of my summer jobs for the past three years has been delivering flowers for a Boston florist, resulting in my driving about 6-8 hours a day for five days a week, in the city and on the highway. My brother works with me. When we see someone pull of a crazy aggressive move on the highway, we actually applaud the driver for his or her skills. On the other hand, nothing pisses us off more than some idiot out-of-stater (usually with a RI plate) driving 60 in the left hand lane, or the person who backs up on the highway because he or she missed an exit.

Big difference between aggressive (ie skilled) drivers and bad (ie unskilled) drivers!

As for the worst drivers? Id put money on it being a place with a large elderly population. You may all think it to be a stereotype, but trust me: drive for 40 hours a week all summer long and you too will come to the realization that older people suck at driving. With that in mind, Id say probably Miami, Tampa or Phoenix.

[Chi-town]

Speeding up to prevent traffic from passing has always been illegal.

http://www.sos.state.il.us/publications/rr/rr_chap03.html#passing

Just my pet peeve. If I'm doing 85 and your doing 78, why do you feel the need to prevent me from passing?
If we're talking about me personally, I'd never be going 78 unless there's traffic.

I'm usually the guy going 90 and passing on the right if need be.

[Cleveland Brown]

...The scary thing is I've seen those speeds reached on two lane Detroit streets.

I try not to drive more than 60-65 on the infamous 8 mile road (east side limit 40 MPH)

More power to u Chi-Town, for keeping the gas companies profits high.

[Jazzman]

...The scary thing is I've seen those speeds reached on two lane Detroit streets.

I try not to drive more than 60-65 on the infamous 8 mile road (east side limit 40 MPH)

More power to u Chi-Town, for keeping the gas companies profits high.


Hell I've gone 70 on twisty ridgetop roads here in Birmingham where the posted speed limit is 30. Not recommended, but fun as all hell.

Not to say that Birmingham drivers are bad, but the most common things I see drivers here doing wrong are: not using turn signals, swerving from lane to lane without warning, driving without headlights on even if it's eleven'o'clock at night and *shudder* driving on the wrong side of the road, particularly on two-lane roads. Just in the past week, I've had three incidents where I was on a two lane road and somebody came towards me in the wrong lane. Those three certainly weren't the only times either, it's becoming more common than I'd like.

[LMJCobalt]

Well I have a rather limited experiance but Ill throw in my 2 cents. NYC drivers are really aggressive and dont take no guff, but I like that and I enjoy the times when I get to drive in NYC, its intense and exciting. For the most part too, they arent terrible drivers. I had a car out in Boston this past week and I was about to pull my hair out. Boston drivers suck, I couldnt figure out what they were trying do to half the time. They were aggressive to the point where it no longer made any sense. So I say Boston.

[Cleveland Brown]

Jazzman,

Some of the streets where people get in the 60MPH range are two lanes lined with cars and homes 15-25 feet away from the street. Very narrow with traffic and tons of traffic lights that are off timed. A good example would be East 7 mile (we love our mile roads) where weaving in and out is normal, but to reach those speeds you have to run lights and nearly force cars off the road. I would never drive that fast on a street like that but there are fools that do and sometimes the accidents are horrific. Like hitting another car and ending up in a house.

[Jazzman]

Jazzman,

Some of the streets where people get in the 60MPH range are two lanes lined with cars and homes 15-25 feet away from the street. Very narrow with traffic and tons of traffic lights that are off timed. A good example would be East 7 mile (we love our mile roads) where weaving in and out is normal, but to reach those speeds you have to run lights and nearly force cars off the road. I would never drive that fast on a street like that but there are fools that do and sometimes the accidents are horrific. Like hitting another car and ending up in a house. '



Oh. That sucks. I wasn't talking about crowded city streets, though. OK, OK, I'll admit, I've probably done that once or twice on such a road, but not often. Most of my friends have been in accidents while they were driving; I have a perfect driving record so far and I've driven just as much as they have. I drive aggressively, but not reckless.

[Cleveland Brown]

It really sucks when they manage to run away uninjured and people in the car they hit die :hell:

I would have a clean driving record too, despite my heavy right foot, except I'm the only idiot I know who has managed to get a speeding ticket in the sparsely populated upper penninsula.

[Antares41]

I learned to drive in NYC, I've driven in France , Russia, Korea, but, I've never seen anything like what I saw in Boston, aggressive, lawless, you name, it it there, especially the approaches to the tunnel going from DT to Logan Airport what a nightmare.

[Halovet]

I vote Atlanta.

Nothing scientific. But everytime I've tooled around there I have never ceased to be amazed by the number of reckless idiots cruising along with me. And apparantly they do not install turn signals in any vehicle sold there.

But I give them credit for keeping the freeways moving at a good clip (when there isn't a mega-jam). Maybe there is a law that 75 is the minimum speed on any fwy in metro ATL, which is fine with me. I could swear all the signs say 55 though.....

Atlanta drivers are certainly better than Chicago's. Atlanta is the worst by far! i live near Chicago, drive there all the time. I've never seen anything more reckless in all my life than ATL drivers. I could sware, everyone was tring to kill me, and i've never been mistaken for a slow driver! Never drove in Miami though, and it's probably just as well!:crazy:

[Toucano]

Miami Follows International Driving Laws That is, Everyone drive like the did in the Countries from which the came....

[Timeliner]

Seattle...cutting infront of you and not speeding up to the speed limit at least, they stay below the speed limit only to piss you off!!

That was me . I had to wait there half an hour until I saw your car approaching...

[volguus zildrohar]

puffmatty is correct in his stating that Fluffyians regard stop signs - hell, non-electric street signs in general - more as guidelines than hard and fast rules.

It doesn't help to have a city with so many one lane and/or narrow streets, mostly int he neighborhoods. When people do get onto the city's larger streets, Northeast Philly's Roosevelt Blvd in particular, you'd think they got driving lessons from a 3-year old.

And God help you if you're on a bike. I think Sasso could expound on that topic at length.

[GRID]

I'm sorry...but Miami BY FAR. I have NEVER - in all of my life - dealt with so much chaos and rude drivers. I have lived in LA, Denver, Omaha, St. Louis, Phoenix, Seattle, and now here.

Seriously...almost everytime I leave the house, I have some terrible experience (or several) with somebody on some street or road. In fact, the local newstation did a NEWSTORY on the topic it is so bad. In their short segment, you saw stuff taped that you would not believe. The city is aware of the problem and blames it because "Miami has a lack of education."

Also, on most lists, I have seen Miami placed as the "worst." My new roommate is from Chicago, and he cannot stand the drivers down here either.

[Jasonhouse]

I'm telling you people, I've driven around in Chicago, Boston, DC and Atlanta, and none of them compare to Miami.

[anubis]

boston by far

[TexasBoi]

Miami Follows International Driving Laws That is, Everyone drive like the did in the Countries from which the came....

so true:hilarious
the part on Interstate 95 from the Golden Glades all the way thru downtown is just horrible....the palmetto isnt any different either

[Slim Pickens]

Well. I know Anchorage is not a major city. But when I'm driving on the roads and I look around, it is unbelievable how bad the drivers are in this town. Everyone, and I mean everyone, drives like they're alone on the road. Many people cannot drive proficiently in winter driving conditions. We have such a high rate of accidents, you'll probably find one of the largest per capita amounts of auto body repair shops in this town. I've spoken with several driving instructors and APD traffic cops, most who have lived all over the U.S. and definitely seen it all, and they all agree that Anchorage truly does have the worst drivers imaginable.

But then again, this is just a city of 300,000. So it might be, and might not be comparable in some respects. Just my 2 cents...

[terryaki]

From my experience, I say LA has the worst drivers I have seen (I'm sure there are worse cities). They do some pretty aggressive moves, but since everyone does it, nobody seems to notice. One thing's for sure though, they've mastered the art of passing, unlike here in SLC where it takes some housewife/soccer-mom (which there are a lot of here) a full 20 seconds to complete a lane change. Ugh!

[Urban Zombie]

All of them! If humans were meant to drive, we'd be born with wheels!

[shoowaa1]

All of them! If humans were meant to drive, we'd be born with wheels!

Man is this ever true!!;)

Albert (Shoowaa)

[Jazzman]

^ Ha ha


Good contributions, everyone! Looks like it's a close fight between two East Coast polar opposites- Miami and Boston, the former leading with 17 votes versus Beantown's 15.

[Frank V]

Miami, then Boston and Chicago.

[Cleveland Brown]

Odd that the "motor city" has no bad drivers :nuts:

I gues if we build them we know how to drive 'em

[the pope]

^i was going to say that, but i was afraid i'd jinx the poll, or encourage people to vote for the motor city out of spite

[Jazzman]

Odd that the "motor city" has no bad drivers :nuts:

I gues if we build them we know how to drive 'em



Not necessarily. We have two major auto plants here in Alabama with a third one on the way and people here still drive like remedial monkeys.


But then again, every city has gotten at least one vote. That town, "Other" sounds like a pretty bad town to drive in :D

[F11Roch]

As far as over-agressive drivers go, nothing beats the Massholes of Boston. Further adding to the troubles is the fact that there are little to no merging lanes on the highways. So when the drivers get on they are right on top of you.

[Cleveland Brown]

I had to open my big mouth :uhh:

Detroit...still only one vote :D

[ltsmotorsport]

Sf area: Not so much bad (although there is a lot of that) as they are rude and stupid.

[destroybananas]

Seattle...cutting infront of you and not speeding up to the speed limit at least, they stay below the speed limit only to piss you off!!

That was me . I had to wait there half an hour until I saw your car approaching...

LOL

Yeah that does happen too, wait until the last min and then they cut off!!!

Another thing...SPEED UP WHEN YOU'RE MERGING ONTO THE FREEWAY!!! don't slow down just to try to be nice it just screws everybody up! Don't fall asleep at the light! If it's green that usually means you can go! not wait for another min AND don't slow down as you're approaching a green light as if you're waiting for the light to turn red. :nuts:

Bellevue is the worst in this category! Seattle is not as bad but Bellevue deserves this title! They should just stick with their chofers and stop driving! :D

[Warren]

Californians are the worst drivers. the slightest bit of snow, and they start sliding everywhere, as if they don't know it's slick. They drive 90MPH everywhere they go. They buy gas guzzeling SUV's. it's like 1 out of 10 cars driving around Denver are Californians, and they drive like arrogant, uneducated, morons, when it snows.

[AjeFromDBlock]

we dont really deal with driving in snow or rain, thats why, ive seen snow maybe 2 times in my whole life

[North_Coast]

I've found that one person's definition of a "worst driver" can be diamterically opposed to another person's opinion.

Some define a "good driver" as one who obeys the speed limit always, won't squeeze into a lane unless there's a space the size of a football field between cars, always comes to a full stop at stop signs etc. In reality, this type of driver has a fear of driving, and will likely be the first to cause a major accident when driving in a fast-moving, conjested area.

I have found the best drivers are in Boston and NYC. Why? They cut into close spaces to keep traffic moving. If traffic is stalled, I can trust that there is a good reason for it ahead.

I find the most inept drivers are in Florida and California, with Upstate NY close behind. In Florida, they drive in semi-conscious comas. I have seen cars flipped over on the side of straight, flat, dry roads. A semi-comatose driver is the only pausible explanation.

I don't know what the problem is in California. Most of my experience has been in the Bay Area. I guess the best explanation I can think of is that they drive their gas guzzling SUV's too fast. While talking on their cell phone at 80 MPH, they plow into another SUV doing 50 MPH in the HOV lane. Trafiic seldom flows steadily on Freeways like 101. You can't pick a lane and stay in it because a lot of drivers drive at different speeds in any lane that happens to suit them at the moment.

The main reason for poor driving in Upstate NY is paranoia. Speed traps abound in this area. The State gets a $50 surcharge for each ticket, and the counties and state need money. They'll tell you that they ticket drivers in the interest of safety. In reality, it's 10% Safety, and 90% Revenue. The traffic cops have quotas, and they tend to want to do a really good job every month to surpass their revenue goal. Kind of like a sales job, but they get promotions rather than commisions for exceeding therr goals. People drive like idiots here because they focus on avoiding tickets, rather than on controlling their cars and flowing with the traffic. Self-righteous drivers driving at 55 in the passing lanes are common, and they cause accidents.

So if you were to ask me where the best driver are, I would vote for Boston. The worst? I voted for Miami.

[R@ptor]

I've been to nearly all major US cities (LA, SF, LV, NY, DC, Philly, Miami and Chicago) and must say that L.A. has the worst drivers by far. Even for someone like me, who comes from a country which doesn't know a speed limit, it's really challenging to drive there. Nobody lets you change lanes, the driving style of the average Angelino is extremely aggresive and nobody gives a shit about traffic laws. Or for example, in the USA you are allowed to make a right turn at a red traffic light, while in Europe this is strictly forbidden. So, because I think this is extremely dangerous, I usually stop at a red light when I want to make a right turn (the rule says you are allowed to, but it doesn't say you have to). So when I stop drivers behind me usually go mad, they're shouting and honking without a stop (especially funny when the car behind you is a taxi).

While in L.A. the driving of the natives is just a catastrophe, the driving of the people in SF, Chicago, Philly and DC is quite good.

[Jazzman]

ome define a "good driver" as one who obeys the speed limit always, won't squeeze into a lane unless here's a space the size of a football field between cars, always comes to a full stop at stop signs etc. In reality, this type of driver has a fear of driving, and will likely be the first to cause a major accident when driving in a fast-moving, conjested area.



I agree, North Coast. For example, people complain about people getting mad at them for doing 70 on the freeway (when the speed limit is 70) in the fast lane. If the average speed on the freeway at that particular place and time is 75, and everybody in the fast lane is doing 80 or 85, then you should get your ass out of the fast lane. You're holding up traffic. That's one of the basic priniciples that freeways are designed around, that traffic flows continously and in doing so, slow traffic keeps to the right while faster traffic can go around them on the left. I don't care what the speed limit is on the freeway, you have to keep up with the speed limit on the freeway. If you're doing 50 and everybody else is doing 80 (or maybe 70 in the slow lane) you should speed up or get off the freeway. Driving too slow can be dangerous just as driving too fast can be.



I've been to nearly all major US cities (LA, SF, LV, NY, DC, Philly, Miami and Chicago) and must say that L.A. has the worst drivers by far. Even for someone like me, who comes from a country which doesn't know a speed limit, it's really challenging to drive there. Nobody lets you change lanes, the driving style of the average Angelino is extremely aggresive and nobody gives a shit about traffic laws. Or for example, in the USA you are allowed to make a right turn at a red traffic light, while in Europe this is strictly forbidden. So, because I think this is extremely dangerous, I usually stop at a red light when I want to make a right turn (the rule says you are allowed to, but it doesn't say you have to). So when I stop drivers behind me usually go mad, they're shouting and honking without a stop (especially funny when the car behind you is a taxi).

While in L.A. the driving of the natives is just a catastrophe, the driving of the people in SF, Chicago, Philly and DC is quite good.


R@ptor, I understand that German drivers are among the best in the world, and that driving rules are strictly enforced over there. But to be honest with you, if I saw that you were turning right and we were at a red light and I saw it was clear and I saw you sitting there doing nothing, I might get a little peeved at you too, especially if I'm in a hurry (because I, like most Americans, expect the car in front of me to turn right in that situation). Nothing personal, just trying to give you my perspective and perhaps the perspective of many other Americans as well. :)

The solution I see in your situation? Unless you're in a turn-only lane, just don't put on your turn signal. Then people won't know whether you're turning left or right, then they can't get mad at you :)

[R@ptor]

R@ptor, I understand that German drivers are among the best in the world, and that driving rules are strictly enforced over there. But to be honest with you, if I saw that you were turning right and we were at a red light and I saw it was clear and I saw you sitting there doing nothing, I might get a little peeved at you too, especially if I'm in a hurry (because I, like most Americans, expect the car in front of me to turn right in that situation). Nothing personal, just trying to give you my perspective and perhaps the perspective of many other Americans as well. :)

The solution I see in your situation? Unless you're in a turn-only lane, just don't put on your turn signal. Then people won't know whether you're turning left or right, then they can't get mad at you :)


I don't wanted to upset anybody and when I am in a foreign country I usually drive according to this country's traffic laws.
The cases where I stop at a red light when I want to turn right are usually in big cities at intersections with 5 lanes where you can't see all of the intersection. In Smallville, USA in the middle of nowhere with almost no traffic I have no problems with turning right at a red light. But it's especially in big cities and in situations like the one above were drivers react aggressive. So it's not about annoying anybody, I'm just driving a bit more careful, which isn't such a bad thing to do in a foreign country.
Just for example, many american tourists have quite a big problem with the very high speeds driven on the german Autobahn. If the traffic is light, the average German drives about 100-130mph, so I wouldn't get mad at an american tourists who doesn't feel comfortable at such speeds and drives only 80mph, too.

But nonetheless, thanks for your tip Jazzman, I think I'll do it like that next time.

[North_Coast]

Getting a little off topic, but this kind of relates to drivers in the Bay Area -

Last monday, I flew into San Franciso Airport around dusk - which was right at the peak of rush hour. Recall that in my earlier post I said that traffic on the freeways in the Bay Area moves erratically - lots of stops and starts for no real reason other than erratic driving. As we were approaching SFO, I was waking up after a long flight, and looking out the window at 101 South. We were high enough that I could see a large stretch of the freeway, all the way down to the end of the Bay at San Jose. I saw a steady line of red tail lights, with pulsating waves of bright red (brake lights) that travelled up and down the freeway as the cars were bunching up in certain areas. It looked kind of surreal. The waves of brakes lights were nearly evenly spaced along the entire 40 miles of freeway that I could see from the plane. The waves were propogating all the way up and down the freeway.

You normally see a subset of this while driving on the freeway as you apprach a traffic bottleneck, but seeing it along the entire stretch of the highway reminded me of wave progation models we studied in engineering school.

[tmac14wr]

boston has four times the accident rate of the national average...and we're called massholes...im saying boston

[AjeFromDBlock]

it sucks driving down 101, its better and much faster to take 280 all the way down into san jose. another problem with driving on 101, but going north, at dusk is that the sunset hits drivers in the eyes causing some of that erratic driving, and there are hills where the sunlight hits u worse.

[North_Coast]

it sucks driving down 101, its better and much faster to take 280 all the way down into san jose. another problem with driving on 101, but going north, at dusk is that the sunset hits drivers in the eyes causing some of that erratic driving, and there are hills where the sunlight hits u worse.

I usually try to set up my return flights out of SFO outside of peak traffic - so its usually a quick drive from San Jose via. 101 off peak. I'll have to try 280 next time. 280 is also a lot more scenic.

During the last trip, we had our company Christmas Party on Saturday, so we had time to kill to do some sight-seeing on Sat morning. I took 101 to 92, to cross over to Rt 1 near Half Moon Bay, then drove to Sal Saulito (sp?) then back into SF to hang around the wharf area. Unbelievably beautiful drive. Got some great pictures!

[Warren]

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Or for example, in the USA you are allowed to make a right turn at a red traffic light, while in Europe this is strictly forbidden. So, because I think this is extremely dangerous, I usually stop at a red light when I want to make a right turn (the rule says you are allowed to, but it doesn't say you have to).
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The law says you must first come to a complete stop at a red light before making a right turn on red, unless your turn is protected by vehicles turning left. It also says you may NEVER turn right on red when there are pedestrians at that corner.

I have never been able to figure out what's with all the stupid people that always have to turn into the left lane instead of the right lane. That is illigal. Yet it seems like 9 out of ten times people do it. What's up, can they not make that sharp of a turn?? I never have a problem doing it.