What states have the most rude drivers might just surprise you
Some states produce a lot more rude drivers than others. That may not surprise you – think New York driver making an expressive hand gesture, for example. But what states have the most drivers with expressive hand gestures might just surprise you.
Insure.com surveyed 2,000 drivers nationwide to find out which states are the worst. The roadway rudeness reaches its peak in the following 10 states:
- Idaho: Would you believe? Insure.com says the roadways of Idaho present a dichotomy of drivers: Those who are moving so slowly that they’re judged to be rude, and the aggressive ones who speed around them and flip them off.
- District of Columbia: Drivers are said to be self-serving, abrasive and unsafe, especially with speeding.
- New York: Drivers (and pedestrians) are known as angry, due to the concentrated population and crammed driving conditions.
- Wyoming: Many “cowboys” in the state are known for running reds, disregarding stops and merging without signaling.
- Massachusetts: Massachusetts drivers actually embrace their rudeness, as evidenced by their “Masshole” bumper stickers. Drivers are known to block merging opportunities, tailgate and spew insults.
- Vermont: Speeders actually stole an electronic radar-controlled sign telling drivers how fast they were going on their way to Brighton State Park. But the need for a sign is evident, as Vermont ranked No. 3 in the nation for speeding tickets per capita.
- Delaware: Drivers here are known to be terrible tailgaters and speeders – and they’re not afraid to flip people off if they’re in the way.
- New Jersey: People are known to pull onto the road with far less space than they should. Also a popular move is the “Jersey slide,” cutting across two or more lanes with the same blinker, if at all.
- Nevada: Drivers must be on the defense, as driving in Nevada is dangerous and there are frequent accidents. Many cars go through red left turn signals and dart ahead of each other.
- Utah: Drivers go up to 15 miles per hour above the speed limit, but do not signal because they’re unsure of their next move.
How the survey was conducted: In July 2014, Insure.com commissioned a survey of 2,000 licensed drivers, half women and half men, with respondents representing all areas of the country according to Census population data. The state rankings were calculated using a ratio of the nationwide votes for drivers of the state divided by the number of respondents from the state.
While this survey is a bit tongue-in-cheek, it’s important to differentiate rude driving from road rage. Rude driving is annoying. Road rage is dangerous. Road rage can even be life-threatening. I recently wrote about a Michigan man who was murdered in a road rage incident. Here are tips on what to do if you’re faced with an aggressive driver.
Stay safe everyone. And let’s try to refrain from the expressive hand gestures behind the wheel, shall we?
