Which U.S. City Has the Worst Drivers?

[cpzilliacus]

Slate.com: Which U.S. City Has the Worst Drivers?

Imagine: You're driving a car, and the driver ahead of you is behaving erratically. He can't stay in a lane. He puts on his left turn signal but doesn't turn. He slows to a near stop for no apparent reason, then surges forward. Finally, he makes a right turn from the left lane. You mutter to yourself, "This city has the worst [expletive] drivers."

What city are you envisioning?

Everyone who has ever set foot on an accelerator thinks they know where the worst drivers live, but they can't all be right. I set out to determine which city's drivers most deserve our steering-wheel slamming, bird-flipping frustration.

[vdeane]

No one city for me.  The behavior noted is indicative of tourists everywhere (especially if you see an arm hanging out the window).

[xcellntbuy]

The whole region--Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hands down.

[vtk]

I've heard drivers are bad in Connecticut.  My limited experience driving in Connecticut corroborates that.

But on the other hand, time of day/week seems as important as location.  I see a lot of crappy drivers in the middle of the day.

[Alps]

This sounds like L.A. for some reason. But I have no interest in helping Slate.

[Bruce]

Not U.S., but if you see BC plates over here, you move out of the way. Canadians are notoriously bad drivers once they pass Blaine.

[realjd]

The whole region--Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hands down.

Miami drivers aren't that bad once you get used to them IMO. Lately, with my work travels, I find myself most annoyed with drivers in NYC/LI, Dallas, and Chicago, in that order. And the tourists in Orlando are obnoxious.

[Brandon]

Chicago, with emphasis on the Borman Expressway (I-80/94) between the Tri-State and the Toll Road.  It's pure anarchy on the road.  Whenever I get back from a trip to the east, Dayton, Cleveland, Port Huron, etc, I feel like everyone plays by the rules, or at least a set of rules until I get up to US-30 on I-65, or the Toll Road on I-94.  Then I feel like all hell has broken loose and it becomes a free for all for every driver out there.

[1995hoo]

Dean Vernon Wormer: Greg, what city has the worst drivers in this country?

Greg Marmalard: Well that would be hard to say, sir. They're each outstanding in their own way.


(Depends on what one means by "worst." Least competent? Rudest just for the sake of being rude? Most likely to ignore traffic laws like red lights or not driving on the shoulder? Etc. Rudeness varies too–there's New York rude, which is mostly intolerance of stupidity, versus DC rude, which is more "I think I'm more important than you" rude.)

[vtk]

Miami drivers aren't that bad once you get used to them

That's it right there.  Good drivers are predictable drivers.

[empirestate]

Dean Vernon Wormer: Greg, what city has the worst drivers in this country?

Greg Marmalard: Well that would be hard to say, sir. They're each outstanding in their own way.


(Depends on what one means by "worst." Least competent? Rudest just for the sake of being rude? Most likely to ignore traffic laws like red lights or not driving on the shoulder? Etc. Rudeness varies too–there's New York rude, which is mostly intolerance of stupidity, versus DC rude, which is more "I think I'm more important than you" rude.)

Boston rude is similar to DC rude, but with more skill behind it, and perhaps less widespread. Connecticut rude is even closer to DC rude. New Jersey rude is like NYC rude, but NYC rude is ameliorated by predictability and (relative) orderliness, at least within the Manhattan grid. Outer borough NYC driving is markedly different than Manhattan driving, manifested largely in the difference in driving habits of yellow cabs vs. non-medallion livery cars.

Southern California, surprisingly, isn't all that bad, despite the total lack of any applied lane discipline. South Florida, on the other hand, is quite a mess; I am most disappointed in their vehiculo-pedestrian interaction skills–probably because a pedestrian in south Florida is about as common as a triceratops in New York City.

[kkt]

Boston.  Driving is a contact sport!

[allniter89]

All of them!! I havent been to Canada recently but the last time I was there (1980's-90's) it seemed they were way more courteous than US drivers. Its sad & dangerous how drivers in the US drive . I used to enjoy getting in the car and aimlessly driving around, before gas was $3+ a gallon. I mentioned to the better half just the other day that the bad drivers have taken all the fun out of driving. Incompetent &/or inconsiderate drivers infuriate me !! Now I drive only when I need to go somewhere .

[ET21]

Entire State of Illinois. But for a city, I will say Chicago and Chicagoland proper

[agentsteel53]

Miami.  I have driven in every major US metropolitan area larger than, oh approximately Branson, Missouri.  so I think I have a good scientific basis for this opinion... and, trust me, folks, it's Miami.

Miami drivers aren't that bad once you get used to them

That's it right there.  Good drivers are predictable drivers.

except Miami does not feature predictably bad driving.  Oregon, for example, you can get used to the fact that people do 55mph three-abreast on the freeway. 

Miami, however, you cannot get used to the driving, which includes such behavior as running a stop sign, pulling in front of you as to completely stop your progress, and getting out of the car to swear at you.  go ahead and try to predict that!

[Avalanchez71]

Miami is bad.  Nashville is bad as no one knows how to use a signal, move up in an intersection and many pass along the right shoulder as well.

[texaskdog]

Maybe Austin.  Is it that hard to use your turn signals?  So many people live here from so many different cities they brought their intermixing bad habits with them.

[Brandon]

Miami.  I have driven in every major US metropolitan area larger than, oh approximately Branson, Missouri.  so I think I have a good scientific basis for this opinion... and, trust me, folks, it's Miami.

Miami drivers aren't that bad once you get used to them

That's it right there.  Good drivers are predictable drivers.

except Miami does not feature predictably bad driving.  Oregon, for example, you can get used to the fact that people do 55mph three-abreast on the freeway. 

Miami, however, you cannot get used to the driving, which includes such behavior as running a stop sign, pulling in front of you as to completely stop your progress, and getting out of the car to swear at you.  go ahead and try to predict that!

Sounds like Chicago, but instead of getting out to swear at you, they just exchange middle fingers with you.
Post Merge: July 30, 2013, 04:38:33 PM

Entire State of Illinois. But for a city, I will say Chicago and Chicagoland proper

There is a reason why Cheeseheads call those with Illinois plates FIBs.
Fucking Illinois Bastards.

[agentsteel53]

Sounds like Chicago, but instead of getting out to swear at you, they just exchange middle fingers with you.

I've never had much trouble in Chicago... but then again I probably don't even bother to remember a simple middle-finger exchange.  in Boston that's basically a friendly greeting.

[doorknob60]

Seattle. No, you can't go 5 MPH under the speed limit in the left lane, move the hell over! Half the problem is Oregon's low speed limits confuse out of state drivers, but come on, keep right except to pass, it's not hard.

[realjd]

Miami.  I have driven in every major US metropolitan area larger than, oh approximately Branson, Missouri.  so I think I have a good scientific basis for this opinion... and, trust me, folks, it's Miami.

Miami drivers aren't that bad once you get used to them

That's it right there.  Good drivers are predictable drivers.

except Miami does not feature predictably bad driving.  Oregon, for example, you can get used to the fact that people do 55mph three-abreast on the freeway. 

Miami, however, you cannot get used to the driving, which includes such behavior as running a stop sign, pulling in front of you as to completely stop your progress, and getting out of the car to swear at you.  go ahead and try to predict that!

Sounds predictable to me...

[agentsteel53]

Sounds predictable to me...

only if every one of them did it, in which case it would be a case of "these are the local driving laws".  but if 1 in every 10 drivers is erratic, as opposed to 1 in every 100 nationwide, I reserve the right to say that Miami is 10x as worse a place to drive in than average.

[formulanone]

Let's put it this way, no city ever brags that they have the best drivers.

I guess 20+ years of living in the South Florida area has made me realize it's seemingly normal...

[xcellntbuy]

Let's put it this way, no city ever brags that they have the best drivers.

I guess 20+ years of living in the South Florida area has made me realize it's seemingly normal...

It takes a mighty strong stomach sometimes.

[TXtoNJ]

The Tampa Bay Area has its share of awful drivers as well. It must have something to do with Florida traffic engineers. Also, the signal timing is terrible, compounding the issue.