Which State Has the Best Drivers?

[nomad297]

I live in the Washington, D.C. metro area and I must admit that we have the most inconsiderate and incapable drivers that I am aware of. I have been to every state in the east and I can say, without a doubt, that Pennsylvania has the most considerate and capable drivers of anywhere I have traveled. When I head out of town I just can't wait to cross the Maryland border into Pennsylvania -- the difference in drivers is noticeable, almost immediately.

Is there a state that you have visited where you can, generally, say the drivers are more considerate and better than most?

Bruce

[bucky]

The reason MD drivers are in the right lane going faster than anybody else is because the idiots from PA are in the left lane at 10 under the limit. This only applies to the eastern shore and near the beach. On the mainland, the stock car race used to start at Annapolis, but now it's balls to the walls from Easton west. By the time you get to 495/95 you have to take the ramps on 2 wheels or you get spun out.

A PA comment, there are 2 distinct driver types. The Philly area crowd is obnoxious and very aggressive. The central and western PA crowd is much more sane and a little on the timid side. They should have different tags so we have half a chance to guess what they are going to do next.

[wa8yxm]

Pepperoni wrote:
Michigan. If you can avoid hitting a deer for 5 years in a row, you are considered an expert.

Lived in Michigan full time for over 55 years, over 40 years of driving (Still officially live in MI and spend usually about half my time there now full time RV though so winter in south) Never hit a deer.

True fiction (It is true that the story was written, the story is fiction however) IASFM (I Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine) used to (and may still for all I know) have a feature article titled Probability Zero. It was a short story 1-2 magazine pages, . Well you figure it out. One month the story went like this.

Two researchers car pooling to/from work commenting on how fast drivers are speeding, Congress keeps upping the speed limit, they keep driving the limit, but other driver keep blasting past.. (Hey was that a ROCKET engine on that car??)

They are working on a faster than light drive..

Suddenly one gets an idea,, They appeal to conngress for another sped limit increase and 2 weeks later.. They have a working FTL drive cause AMERICANS (And I'm sure others as well) have a GOD GIVEN RIGHT to break the speed limit... Yup, some good old boy figured out FTL just so he could go faster than the lmit. (Which was of course 300 million meters per second, or 1C or Light speed).

[Veebyes]

michigansandzilla wrote:
Ever been to France? Anywhere in the states is better to drive than over there. They. Are. Insane.

Try Quebec. They are french too. They just refuse to acknowledge that they lost a war 200 years ago & they are still bitter about it.

The British should have sent them back to France or Louisiana when they had the chance then driving in Quebec might be as civilised as Ontario.

[michigansandzil]

Ever been to France? Anywhere in the states is better to drive than over there. They. Are. Insane.

[john_bet]

The one with the least drivers on the road.:B

[B_O__Plenty]

Minnesota, as long as you understand some of the basic rules of driving here. The left lane on a four lane is for driving, the right lane is for passing. Stopping for signs is optional if you are turning. Pedestrians NEVER have the right of way. Get as close to them as you fly by and teach them a lesson. Turn signals must be activated at least 2 feet before a turn or lane change.

B.O.

[wintersun]

It is not a function as much of the state as to how rural or urban an area happens to be. I can drive from Oregon to San Diego along the west coast through California and I can tell when I am approaching the SF bay area or the LA basin by how drivers are behaving around me. Very noticeable is the amount of tailgating and lane changes going on and people refusing to let other vehicles merge when a lane is ending. On the other hand the drivers who can survive day after day in places like the SF bay area and around Los Angeles have a higher skill level than drivers in most other parts of the country with the exception of driving in snow where they generally lack the experience of people in many other states.

Truckers were recently surveyed as to the states with the rudest drivers. Drivers were asked to rank the states with the rudest drivers and found that the worst offenders were from Idaho.

According to those surveyed by Insure.com, Idaho's drivers represented a volitile mix of rude, with some drivers moving too slowly, causing other drivers to speed around them agressively and flipping off the slow drivers. Idaho residents said this perfect storm of rude was likely caused by the state's twisting mountain roads being driven by inexperienced drivers, making drivers more familiar with the roads impatient. Though Idaho is little different from Washington, Oregon, Montana, California and other western states in terms of terrain.

The survey of 2,000 licensed drivers across the country found Washington, D.C., the second rudest region, with New York coming in third. Wyoming and Massachusetts round out the top 5.

When asked what drives drivers mad about other drivers, talking on a cellphone was number one, with 47% of responses. Tailgating, not signaling turns, weaving in and out of lanes and driving too fast were also top behaviors considered rude.

The survey also tracked where drivers taking the survey were from. The biggest haters in the nation came from California. Californians found drivers from most of the western states to be rude and threw in New York and Vermont for good measure.

Texas drivers were also very vocal in hating Californians and drivers from some of its closest neighbors, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana.

North and South Carolina had a strong rivalry going, with members of each state pointing to each other as the rudest drivers. This is in stark contrast to the more cordial North and South Dakota, who thought that only other states had rude drivers.

To cap it all off, nearly half of all drivers surveyed felt that about a quarter of drivers should not be on the road at all. As many as 21% felt that half of other drivers should not be on the road.

The top 10 rudest states in the survey were:

1. Idaho
2. Washington D.C.
3. New York
4. Wyoming
5. Massachusetts
6. Delaware and Vermont (tie)
8. New Jersey
9. Nevada
10. Utah

[Bionic_Man]

I travel the western US (everything West of the Mississippi) for work. Seattle drivers are far and away the worst out there. You would think they would be used to rain, but just a small sprinkle slows everything WAY down.

[Sluggo54]

"The only thing I don't understand here is when you are turning left on a light they stay behind the line waiting instead of moving into the intersection so a couple cars 'can' turn left when the light turns."

That is a puzzlement in north Colorado, too.
I kind of enjoy aggravating people by letting semis in, or folks out of parking spaces. In truth, drivers are pretty mellow and laid back around here. Only real complaint is the state motto should be changed to, "Colorado, where the speed limit is never quite enough".

[skipnchar]

How good a driver is (measured by his driving skills) has nothing to do with where he's from. EVERY state has good ones and bad ones.
Pretty easy to tell one from the other, just watch WHERE they drive in relationship to the lanes they're driving in. If they can't handle something as simple as maintaining their vehicles in a single driving lane they CAN'T be very good.
Good luck / Skip

[Veebyes]

Been in every state, except Hawaii at least twice. Driven around just about every major city, except LA, San Diego & SFO. Take your pick. City drivers are the worst. Seattle stands out from the crowd as being especially aggressive. Denver is somewhat tame. A shame that where drivers should be most careful & considerate they are at their worst. Done the Washington beltway a few times. Those people do not like sharing the highway with folks not working.

Generally states west of the Appalachians are much more considerate than East Coast states. Must be something to do with more relaxed rural living.

The worst drivers experienced, & they are not the worst in the world, are right here in Bermuda, population about 60,000 & about 40,000 vehicles of all types on some 300 miles of roads with a speed limit Islandwide of 20mph.

A week does not go by without somebody managing to roll a car. We have about 24 deaths on the roads every year, mostly people riding mopeds running into utility poles or roadside walls. A vehicle horn is only used as a greeting device if you see somebody you know on the road.

[bee_46]

I live about 10 miles south of the PA line and if someone is tailgating, speeding, or passing on a solid line they have a PA license plate. Not saying Maryland drivers are a lot better. It seems that many drivers anywhere feel they always have the right of way. Stop signs are just suggestions and get out of their way when on an interstate and they are getting on. Move over or slow down, they are coming anyway.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

nevadanick wrote:
Hawaii has the most considerate drivers of anywhere i have been.

Was thinking same when I saw this thread.

However, the Hawaiians driving 45' Motor Homes or towing long 5th wheels are not very considerate!..:(

~

CA - "Jersey Salute" - not a good plan in some areas.

May result in a poorly aimed 4th of July salute in return!..;)

Another version of....Duck!! - Dynasty...;)

~

[nomad297]

Well, if all you PA people think you've got it bad in PA, just imagine how bad I have it here in the Washington, D.C. area, considering that I think you guys are so considerate and adept.

Bruce

[az99]

pasusan wrote:

There are 2 roads that we avoid whenever possible - the Washington Beltway and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The Pa Turnpike is so bad because it is full of drivers from NJ weaving in and out at 90+ and the NY drivers who must have been taught to only drive in the left lane. Even with 30' tall signs saying KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS.