Miami drivers have the worst road rage

[David Baxter PhD]

$%^#!! Miami drivers have the worst road rage
May 15, 2007

City earns not-so-distinguished distinction for second year in a row

MIAMI - For the second consecutive year, rude Miami drivers have earned the city the title of worst road rage in a survey released Tuesday.

Miami motorists said they saw other drivers slam on their brakes, run red lights and talk on cell phones, according to AutoVantage, a Connecticut-based automobile membership club offering travel services and roadside assistance.

Other cities near the top of the rude drivers list were New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

South Miami resident Erik Pinto told The Associated Press that he has probably seen every bad driving habit on Miami?s roads.

?You don?t want to know what I?ve seen,? Pinto said. ?I?ve seen everything. I?m from L.A., and we don?t see the crazy drivers that you see here.?

The most courteous drivers can be found in Portland, Ore.; Pittsburgh; the Seattle-Tacoma area; St. Louis; and Dallas-Fort Worth, the survey found.

Portland drivers were the least likely to see other motorists tailgating on the roadways, and St. Louis motorists were the least likely to swear at another driver, according to the survey.

Minneapolis-St. Paul was rated the most courteous city in 2006 but fell to No. 12 this year.

The most frequent cause of road rage cited in the survey was impatient motorists. Drivers also said road rage can stem from poor driving in fast lanes and driving while stressed, frustrated or angry.

?The best piece of advice is to take a deep breath. Slow down, be aware and be careful,? AutoVantage spokesman Todd Smith said, adding the aim of the survey is to increase driver safety across the nation.

More than 2,500 drivers who regularly commute in 25 major metropolitan areas were asked to rate road rage and rude driving in telephone surveys between January and March. The survey was conducted by Prince Market Research has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

How cities ranked in road rage
Residents in the following 25 cities were surveyed and are listed in order from those reporting the most incidents of road rage to the fewest:

1. Miami
2. New York
3. Boston
4. Los Angeles
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Phoenix
7. Chicago
8. Sacramento, Calif.
9. Philadelphia
10. San Francisco
11. Houston
12. Atlanta
13. Detroit
14. Minneapolis-St. Paul
15. Baltimore
16. Tampa, Fla.
17. San Diego
18. Cincinnati
19. Cleveland
20. Denver
21. Dallas-Ft. Worth
22. St. Louis
23. Seattle-Tacoma
24. Pittsburgh
25. Portland, Ore.

Source: AutoVantage?s ?In the Driver?s Seat Road Rage Survey?

 

[Retired]

As one drives further into South Florida, the density of population increases, as does traffic congestion despite widened interstate highways.

There is a mix of very luxurious cars such as Bentley's, Rolls'. Mercedes, Lotus plus every conceivable Cadillac...mixed with the cars of local folks driving to make a living, and plenty of pesky tourists who have no idea where they are going. Add to that thousands of Tractor Trailer rigs, construction trucks and equipment, and then thousands of cars rebuilt from scraps and spare parts being used by "New Arrivals" to the work force.

The heat in Central Florida is usually in the hight 80's in winter and much higher in summer, and just about every occupant in the vehicles I listed above is on the road driving at a high rate of speed, while doing at least one task and often two or more that do not include driving.

Typical task that would occupy the focus of people driving in South Florida include:

• Cell Phone conversation
• Eating a variety of preparations including soup, sandwiches or full course meal.
• Reading a book, magazine or loose sheets of paper in preparation for the next call.
• Cell Phone Conversation
• Grooming a pet, which is seated on the lap of the driver.
• Grooming another person, who is on the lap of the driver, both of whom are on the cell phone.
• Fingernail painting while talking on the cell-phone, and reading a map.
• Setting the iPod, eating a burger, doing the nails and chatting on the cell.

In order to protect Florida citizens, legislation was passed last year to allow Florida residents to carry concealed weapons, and in the event they feel threatened by another individual, they are justified in shooting that person.

Do we wonder why Miami is the road rage capitol?

 

[sunset]

Its no surprise to me that New York is ranked number 2 on the list. I can attest to this one myself. Anything goes in NY and its every driver for himself. People walking on the street arent safe either.
I once drove in the city and was stopped at a red light. Well, I was getting honked at, yelled at, given the finger, because I was OBEYING THE LAW... I kept looking at the light and saying, yeah, its red, then thought I was going color blind. NO joke.

People were going around me and through the red light. I couldnt believe it!

 

[Daniel E.]

"Come back to Miami, we weren’t shooting at you.”

--Dave Barry

 

[David Baxter PhD]

LOL.

The description of New York reminds me of driving in Montreal... I actually got my licence there

 

[Halo]

The description of New York reminds me of driving in Montreal... I actually got my licence there

I knew there was a reason that I avoided your end of town when I am out driving :lol:

 

[David Baxter PhD]

[sign]Pffttt... What do Ottawa people know about real driving?[/sign]

 

[Danny Boy]

Its no surprise to me that New York is ranked number 2 on the list. I can attest to this one myself. Anything goes in NY and its every driver for himself. People walking on the street arent safe either.
I once drove in the city and was stopped at a red light. Well, I was getting honked at, yelled at, given the finger, because I was OBEYING THE LAW... I kept looking at the light and saying, yeah, its red, then thought I was going color blind. NO joke.

People were going around me and through the red light. I couldnt believe it!

Welcome to New York! I live upstate about 2 hours from NY. I cannot tell you how many times, I've been stopped up here for "aggressive driving", I learned to drive from a city driver, I guess these "country cops" have never been to the big apple.

Funny little story: My first time driving in the city, mind you this was Staten Island the "nicest" boro, I was stopped waiting for an old lady to cross the street cars were passing me on the right & left. One almost mowed over the poor old lady.

Upstate here, the life long residents always talk about how "bad" city drivers are. i always say they're the best. They are most accustom to dealing with every conceivable type of driver. Thusly they make snap decisions better and more accurately.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

There's some truth to that. I learned to drive in Montreal, Quebec. People drive fast and aggressively there but you always know where you stand: First person to a 4-way stop goes and you can take that to the bank.

When I moved to Ontario, I saw people looking at each other, inching forward, stopping, wondering what to do and thought, "In the name of all that's holy... Go! This is not rocket science!"...

 

[seeking33]

I'm surprised Cleveland wasn't rated higher. You're lucky if you can make it around town without getting shot!

 

[Misha]

It's so interesting that traffic and driving patterns, though designed to be as universal as possible, are so regional. I was raised in British Columbia, but I now live in Alberta. In BC, Albertans are notorious for being bad drivers. They have no idea what to do when the road curves or goes over a hill. It's too flat in Alberta. Strangely enough, Saskatchewan drivers, where its even flatter, they drive fine when they are in BC. When I'm here in Alberta, I don't notice bad driving, because everybody understands what everybody else is doing. Except the bus and taxi drivers... they're just nuts!!