Fill in the blank: The worst drivers in North America are in _____________.

[ohiosmith]

[Roon]

1. the east and west coast. eom

[bicentennial_baby]

2. Les Quebecois

:)

[Tripper11]

21. Seconded!!!!

Having spent a LOT of time in Quebec over the years, the shit I've seen is absolutely amazing.
I swear when a driver sees a pesedtrian they actually speed up!
My uncle is one of the worst drivers I know. Always distracted...worst part...he has a huge RV he trundles around in..he can barely drive a car and has no idea how big his car is, so an RV is beyond the realm!

[Bassic]

122. Yes we speed up when we see pedestrians.

:sarcasm:

[trogdor]

23. Yep. Quebeckers suck at driving.

They'er arrogant about it, too. When you have to post billboards (in French) pleading with people to be courteous while driving, you know you're in French Canada.

[Bassic]

121. Of course the billboards are in French.

Why would they not be?

[bicentennial_baby]

133. Sacre Bleu!

:rofl:

:hi:

[Bassic]

146. That's more of a French (from France) expression actually.

:D

We use other terms :P

[bicentennial_baby]

148. Oh, I know...always gotta be different...

:D

[Bassic]

150. Just as much as you guys are different from the British

:D

[bicentennial_baby]

153. Oh snap!

Ya got me :D

[fudge stripe cookays]

157. Vous etes ici, eh?

:D

I'm married to a Canadian! Don't hit me!

[Bassic]

200. Bien sur que je suis là.

Why would I hit you? :P

[greendog]

92. No contest...

...the worst driving skills in North America can be observed in Montreal. Guaranteed.

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

203. You've never been to Ottawa, then.

It's my experience that while Quebec has a lot of aggressive drivers, Ontario has a lot of *stupid* drivers, which is much more dangerous.

[fizzgig]

3. wyoming

but they come down here and torture us far too often

[LynneSin]

4. NEW JERSEY

Seriously, I cringe when I have to drive in that state because I know death is a mere traffic circle away

[ohiosmith]

7. There is a special place in hell for whoever created the traffic circle.

[JackBeck]

9. My husband is from Cincinnati.

He agrees.

[kwassa]

15. The proper term is "suicide circle".

[LynneSin]

20. Hey let's merge 4 major highways into one point and put a circle to get around them

Seriously - that person deserves a life in hell. People treat those circles like it's the Indy 500, I usually close my eyes and pray I get off at the right exit

[Little Wing]

41. No, that place is in hell for the morons who can't handle such a simple concept

the rest of the world handles FINE

If you are on the circle, you have right of way. If you are not on the circle, you yeild.

Of course, I've come close to running three cars who have come flying into my path into the curb while I'm going around the circle on my way home.

If it weren't for these unyeiling fuckwits, traffic circles would be all over the place, and traffic would speed up entirely.

[LynneSin]

50. Yeah but 90% of the morans driving those circles feel they have the right-of-way

regardless of where they are in the circle

[billyskank]

63. Well that isn't the fault of the designer of the thing

which, as pointed out, works perfectly well in my country. We have them everywhere. If you have trouble with morons on the road then your problem is nothing other than morons on the road.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

154. Yeah, but your circles go the wrong direction.

A bus full of clowns, and a traffic circle. Life does not get much sweeter than that .....

[we can do it]

140. Around Here, 75% Don't Ever Move In To the Center, They Just Stay In the Outer Lane

15% are terrified and wait until no other car is visible, 10% sit and pull their hair out while they wait for the other freaking morons to figure out what the hell is going on.

[donheld]

116. I could not agree more. OH GOD I HATE THOSE

The God damned Roundabouts. :grr::grr::grr::grr:

[JackBeck]

8. I was born and raised in NJ and have recently moved back after living in Brooklyn

for 10 years.

The Garden State Parkway has to be the most dangerous roadway in all of America.

[jakefrep]

14. Don't forget the jughandles!

[LynneSin]

22. Jughandles aren't too bad of an idea

At least it eliminates those assholes who make a left just as the light goes red and the opposite direction goes green

[Lyric]

49. Jersey, hands down.

We got pulled over once because we were doing slightly above the speed limit on the Jersey Turnpike, and the cop informed us that we were going TOO SLOW. We had to go 95 like everyone else so we wouldn't create a "safety hazard". Ugh.

Never again.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

68. That's what I like about driving in NJ.

I turned a three-hour drive south across the state into a two-hour drive. It was fan-fucking-tastic. The only thing that impeded me was a couple of PA drivers.

[Critters2]

91. Haruka, I love your sig file!!!! nt

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

64. What the fuck ever. I drove through your fake state this weekend.

It was filled with fucktarded drivers. Actually, they were all from PA though. I fucking HATE Pennsylvania drivers. I'm still blaming Delaware though. There's no fucking point to it being a state.

[LynneSin]

165. Well Pennsylvanians are in our state since we're Tax Free and have gambling

and next time you drive through my fucking state you call me, I live less than a mile off of 95. Also, smokes and booze are some of the cheapest in the area, convienience stores near New Jersey are usually filled with NJ folks buying their cheap smokes

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

166. I don't have your number, spazz!

How the fuck am I supposed to call you, if I don't have your number?

Huh?

Answer me that!

[LynneSin]

167. Come on be-yotch - I thought you were a mind reader

:eyes:

Anyhow, I heard you might be coming through there a few more times

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

168. You definitely heard correct.

I expect to be coming through there fairly regularly.

And I am not a fucking mind reader.

:eyes:

[Broken_Hero]

5. easy

Arkansas....

on edit:clearly, Arkansas

[ganeshji]

18. Absolutely.

Driving in Arkansas scares me and I rarely do it. I haven't figured out why they stop at yield signs here but EVERYONE seems to.

[Broken_Hero]

114. what gets me the most

is that the left lane, is the hammer lane, the right lane is for slower moving traffic...and I cannot count, how many times, I get stuck behind two damn cars, one in the left/right, going the exact same speed, for miles and miles...I'm like, PASS!!!....:D My wife commutes to AR everyday, and she has a very healthy case of road rage....

[we can do it]

142. That Sounds Like Ohio

:toast:

[LSK]

6. my way

[ohiosmith]

12. :

:rofl:

[kwassa]

10. where ever I am currently living.

There are certain regional styles of driving however.

Here in the Mid-Atlantic, driving slowly in the left lane is expected, and passing on the right is the norm.

[BarenakedLady]

11. Massachusetts and Rhode Island

No doubt.

[YankeyMCC]

24. The thing to remember is...

in Boston we don't drive...We Aim!

;)

[jakefrep]

13. Michigan

[Eurobabe]

16. Southern Ohio.

Hands down. I got rear ended by a tow truck!!

[Phillycat]

17. Washington DC and the surrounding suburbs

They freak out and crash into one another if it starts RAINING. I won't even tell you what they do when it snows. Also the only place I've ever been stuck in traffic at 3:00AM, and the only place I've ever watched 2 drivers deliberately crash into one another gonig 5mph because neither of them would give way.

[bikebloke]

58. You said it.

It used to be that if you lived in Virginia, DC drivers were bad. Maryland drivers were worse. And New Yorkers, absolutely awful. Though in reality it was probably more of a regional rivally thing.

Nowadays, everyone drives like a moron.

[sbj405]

78. DC Beltway in the rain . . .

You have the jackasses that still want to drive 90 mixed with the nervous nellies that want to poke along at 40.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

98. And how DARE you signal to change lanes!

I'm 10 car lengths behind you; but I'm going to speed up so you can't!

Beltway sux.

[seemunkee]

126. You need to learn a specific technique

Don't try to get in front of the car next to you. Speed up slightly and signal, they will speed up to prevent you from getting in front of them and you can tap your brake and slide in behind. Their ego is not injured and you get into the lane you wanted.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

174. I do that...

It's the car that is way behind them who speeds up.

Go figure...

[LostinVA]

123. You just made me sob in fear as a repressed memory came to the surface

The Beltway. Pouring down rain.

*whimper*

[deepthought42]

160. 495...at night...in the rain...on the weekend...

oh yeah...lol. It took me a while to get over my fear of the DC Beltway, but unfortunately for me, I had to take it to get to/from home/college. (college in southern VA, home in Annapolis, MD).

[seemunkee]

83. DC drivers are more vicious than anywhere else

In Manhattan and Boston they are more pushy but in DC people will be mean for no reason.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

99. Christmas Eve about 10 years ago...

I was doing last minute shopping at Laurel Mall. I was parked on the top level, so there was only one way out. It was snowing, so there was a dusting which covered the stop signs painted on the pavement. I was in the aisle that didn't have a stop sign; but everybody was making nice, and taking turns, the way civilized people would, given the situation.

Everybody EXCEPT the woman who should have gone after me, had she played the taking turns game. Instead, she pulled up alongside my minivan, on the wrong effing side of the road, and scraped the side with her rear-view mirror. Since thee was only one way out, it didn't make sense to stop and get everybody pissed off. Besides, if she was willing to do that, who knows what else she might have been willing to do.

SO I let it go. I hope she had a really merryfucking holiday.

[LostinVA]

124. Agreed -- I've driven all over the country

Including the biggest cities in the US, and DC drivers are totally and completely insane. You're okay while you're on 66, but as soon as you get on the Beltway -- Jeebus.

on edit: a colleague who grew up in Arlington agrees with the above statement. To quote her,"If you live in NOVA, you only drive on the Beltway if you have either a death wish or no other way to get where you're going."

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

179. Is it a bad sign that I didn't find the beltway insane at all?

[LostinVA]

198. Probably because it wasn't bad

My employee was up there this weekend and said the traffic wasn't bad -- I think my little b-word looked out.

[Digit]

197. I grew up there and you just have to keep up with traffic

...and never, EVER motion to another driver in a threatening way.

I live in the south now and these people are SLOW!

[Penndems]

181. No argument on this end

With the exception of three years in Pennsylvania, I've had a Virginia driver's license since 1973. Back then, when people said, "Watch out for the nuts on the road", it was taken as a joke. Now it's dead serious.

Hubby and I were on I-95 North on Christmas Day, on our way to visit my parents. There was a torrential downpour all day, and people (many of them with out-of-state plates) were flying up 95. One guy who passed us had to be doing at least 75 mph - on a major thoroughfare where the speed limit is 55. Seventy-five under normal conditions is dangerous, but in inclement weather, it's downright suicidal. It was scaring the bejeezus out of me.

Finally, I said to my husband, "This is ridiculous. I'm callin' the police." So, I got out the cell phone and dialed #77, the direct line to the Virginia State Police. When the dispatcher answered, I said, "Y'all need to get out here, if you're not out here already. We just passed Exit 166-B on 95 North, and it's crazy out here. People are inventing their own laws and driving at their own speed limit. Somebody's gonna get killed." He thanked me, and said "We'll get officers into that area, Ma'am" (and I'm assuming he did).

I-95 and the Beltway have gotten absolutely insane. The Maryland and Virginia State Police need to crack down on these arrogant jerks.

[LostinVA]

199. I always see cops with people pulled over on the Beltway

I shudder to think what they've been doing.

[mikeytherat]

202. 95 north, just south of Frederickburg, driving rainstorm, no visibility

I'm in the far-right lane doing about 20 mph, and yet there is traffic in the other three lanes absolutely FLYING (easily going in excess of 80 mph in a blinding, zero-visibility rainstorm). We all crest a slight hill and traffic is at a DEAD STOP. I am desperately planning an escape, and quickly shuffle my car off the road, past the shoulder, and onto the grassy median. All around me is impact - one after the other - wham! wham! wham! In a few seconds, there is a 16-car pileup and multiple serious injuries. What a day!

mikey_the_rat
(26 year resident of Virginny)

[smtpgirl]

107. Janesez, I know exactly what you mean

Where ALL of the drivers in the left lane are on cell phones.

Metro DC - MD/Northern VA/DC is the WORST.

On Fridays, it can take 3 hours to get home, on dry roads.

When the Holidays are here, avoid the Tysons area.

Would venture to take a guess that about 85% of the drivers are not natives of the area.

[Penndems]

192. I second that suggestion about avoiding Tysons at Christmas

I lived and worked in McLean during the 1ate 1990s. A few days before Christmas, I drove up International Drive, and into the outside left-turn lane to get onto Route 123 North.

It took me over thirty minutes to drive two miles. :mad:

[Jimbo S]

134. Last time there was in '84

As a pedestrian my brother and I wanted to cross the boulevard from our hotel to get something to eat and no one would yield to us at the YIELD sign at the pedestrian island. Took ten minutes to cross.

[Digit]

196. Naw, it is the people who are NOT from there

I knew how to drive in the snow and rain....it is the ice that scares me.

[Throd]

19. Santa Monica, California

That town is rife with impatient type-A yuppie jerkoffs who drive like shit.

[EFerrari]

104. Yes! And they all are on the phone, putting on make up and

fussing with their stereo.

Who insures these people?!

Why don't they stay at the mall where they belong? :hi:

[Critters2]

25. Boston, with Chicago a close second.

I've gotten to the point that I won't drive in Chicago. If the judicatories have a meeting there, they find someone to pick me up or do it without me. Life is short, I don't need this kind of stress.

[fudge stripe cookays]

149. Boston scared the hell out of me.

All those people double parked, and the others just changing lanes in front of you at the last second to avoid them.

Chicago I have no problem with.

[ceile]

26. San Antonio, TX n/t

[Avalux]

159. I'll back you up on that!

I absolutely HATE driving here; esp. when it rains/drizzles.....they need very little excuse, really. :hi:

[CottonBear]

27. Atlanta, GA especially on the I-285 loop around the city.

:scared:
Everyone thinks they're a NASCAR driver and the average speed seems to be about 80 MPH in heavy traffic on a 6 lane wide highway.
:scared:

[RebelOne]

32. I'll second that. Even if you are driving 80 mph on I-285,

there is someone tail-gating you.

[CottonBear]

40. I-285 is absolutely terrifying especially the I-75 - I-285 & I-85 - I-285 interchanges.

:scared: I avoid that highway at all costs. I drive to Chattanooga via Dahlonega, Dawsonville and Calhoun thus avoiding Atlanta and GA 316 entirely.

[wilt the stilt]

61. you all forget then worst offense

It happened to me today. I put on my turn signal and everyone on the right speeds up so you can't change lanes.

[TommyO]

69. I was going to say this.

I live in PA, drive in NJ, and as bad as it can be on I-78 here, the spaghetti bowl at I-85 and I-285, combined with the four-lane drift that is common, makes Atlanta GA my #1 worst places to drive.

[democracyindanger]

101. 80 mph in Atlanta?

Impossible. Too many idiots on their cell phones clogging up traffic to reach more than 50 mph anywhere.

[RebelOne]

128. On 285 in non-rush hour traffic,

no one goes under 80 mph.

[RubyDuby in GA]

135. 80mph is the minimum speed limit

They run you off the road if you can't keep up. If you aren't prepared to do at least 95 in the far left lane, stay to the right.

It's scary here :scared:

[Rosemary2205]

178. And be prepared to go from 95 to 0 in 30 feet. LOL nt

[RubyDuby in GA]

205. Exactly!

I usually try to leave some space between me and the car in front of me but others only see that as a challenge to see if they can squeeze in before having to brake from 95 to zero to look at the wreck on the other side of the highway.

[Maddy McCall]

28. LOUISIANA

Particularly, the NOLA area.

[Zorro]

46. I second Louisiana

I've seen 5 cars blow through a red light like it wasn't even there.

Maybe it's those Cajun spices that make them drive crazy there.

Drivers are especially nuts around Lake Charles.

[Maddy McCall]

51. When I'm driving 80 on the interstate...

and a huge SUV comes up behind me and tailgates me until I move over, I always know before the rear of that hulking junk gets around me that it's a Louisiana driver.

They are rude assholes on the highway.


(I move over for people who don't zoom up on my tail. But I'm slow to get out of the way of people who act like they own the left lane.)

[LeftyMom]

29. The San Francisco Bay Area

1. Use of turn signals appears to be punishable by death

2. Two speeds: full stop and warp nine

3. Can't find a parking space? Just stop in traffic and put your four ways on! Surely traffic won't back up while you unload your uhaul! (Yes, really. If I had a nickel for every time I saw that in San Francisco, I could afford to live there.)

[Gormy Cuss]

74. The city and Berkeley, the drivers rival Boston in their unpredictable and bad driving behaviors.

Right on red in SF is considered a right of way on red, damn the pedestrians. On turn signals, you're absolutely right. Most of the time if the signal is used it's one second before commencing the turn. In Boston the use of the turn signal was used solely as a diversionary tactic. It was easier to be a pedestrian there because Bostonians think nothing of walking in front of cars to exercise their right of way, even when they wrong.

Parking spaces? SF and Boston share the obsession with four ways as double parking indicators. I've even seen triple "parking" in Boston. In SF, the behavior that drives me nuts are the people who think they're about to score a space on a busy street like Geary so they block the traffic lane for five minutes or longer while the cars whip around into oncoming traffic and the MUNI drivers start leaning on the horn.

[Xithras]

86. Guilty

1. Use of turn signals appears to be punishable by death

When I worked in the Bay Area I NEVER used my turn signals. You would be stupid to try. Using your turn signals simply alerts the guy in the next lane that he needs to speed up and close the gap you're about to merge into. The lack of turn signals in the Bay Area isn't a bad driving habit, it's an understandable response to ANOTHER bad habit.

2. Two speeds: full stop and warp nine

There's nothing worse than making good time doing 90MPH on the way home (keeping pace with traffic, of course), and then being forced to drop to 3 MPH for 5 miles while working your way through a traffic jam. It's even more irritating to realize that the backup was probably caused by rubberneckers slowing down to watch some idiot change a flat tire.

3. Can't find a parking space? Just stop in traffic and put your four ways on!

I once saw someone do that and run into a restaraunt...presumably for lunch. I wanted to key his car soooooo badly.

[MorningGlow]

30. Boston--no contest

I lived there for two years (survived nearly being flattened in my first couple of months) and learned that to see the next dawn, you had to "go native". So I turned into a kamikaze driver...then had to shift back to "normal" every time I went home for a visit. VERY obvious difference.

[Patiod]

33. Statistically, YOU WIN

I did some work for Massport, and the biggest complaint tourists had about the area? Drivers. At the time (late 80s) we found out that Boston drivers have the most accidents per capita of any MSA in the nation. I'm sure things have not changed

[MorningGlow]

35. I was one of those ('89)

Didn't escape unscathed, lemme tell you. Three stitches in the knee (detached cartilage still floating around in there and the knee locks up occasionally) and nine stitches in my lower lip. YES I said IN my lip. And my poor Pontiac Phoenix totalled. Because some wackadoodle (with an EXPIRED LICENSE no less) driving a minivan full of DAYCARE KIDS blew through a stop sign in Watertown because she was late picking someone up from the airport. I swerved to miss her and smacked a street sign head on. Those suckers are tough!

[Critters2]

34. I lived in Boston for 4 years--without a car

It's the only way to do it. Good public transit and scary drivers.

All I ever had to worry about was crossing the street--and that could be an adventure!

[MorningGlow]

38. After a year living just a bit too far away from the T

I moved to a studio apartment within spittin' distance of the B line and a short walk from the C line at Columbus Circle. Smartest thing I ever did.

[Critters2]

39. I lived on the D line, just a few blocks from the Newton Centre station

and worked in Malden and Chelsea. In 4 years, I drove a car once--when I took the keys away from a drunk friend at a party.

[zanne]

44. I vote for Boston, too. nt

[struggle4progress]

54. Absolutely Boston. Traffic signs and signals have unconventional meanings there.

A red octagon at the street corner, for example, means "Toot your horn as you enter the intersection."

[bif]

79. I agree

They totally suck. Almost as bad as the drivers in Italy.

[Phillycat]

130. But see, in Boston, at least the driving makes sense

They all want to get where they're going as fast as possible. Sure, they do insane, possible suicidal things to accomplish that goal, but the GOAL is the same for everyone. Just GO FAST. In DC, I can't imagine what their goal is. Apparently it's to go 40MPH in the left lane and slam on your brakes randomly for no damned reason at all, then crash into someone else at the first sign of precipitation.

[MorningGlow]

136. LOL!

Excellent point! (DC sounds schizoid! I've never been and I don't think I'm interested now!)

This is my Boston driving test--it's only one question: You are the first person in your lane at a red light. You are going straight. The first car in the oncoming lane is turning left. Who has the right of way when the light turns green?

If you responded that you have the right of way, you likely have just been pounded in an accident. The correct answer is: Whoever has the biggest cojones and the heaviest leadfoot. Duh. :D (Bonus points for the response "You gotta wait till the light turns green?")

[trof]

141. The secret to driving in Boston:

Wear blinders.
If you can't get some, just be sure and always look straight ahead.
NEVER glance to either side.
Especially at rotaries (traffic circles) or where on-ramps feed into your traffic.
If you as much as acknowledge the presence of a car trying to merge then it becomes YOUR responsibility to avoid HIM.
:-)

[RedStateShame]

31. ...worse shape than the worst pedestrians in North America.

You know, because they do all that walking.

[Initech]

36. Orange County, California.

I've developed a conspiracy theory that the DMV purposefully leaves the question about right-of-way laws off the driver's test. Honestly, anyone who has driven here for any length of time knows what I'm talking about - idiots here don't know how to make left hand turns (as soon as the light turns green, people in the left hand turn lanes bolt like bunny rabbits at car headlights).

[RubyDuby in GA]

37. Atlanta, Georgia

Trust me.

[RebelOne]

129. Yep, I trust you. I live here. See the discussion above. n/t

[hyphenate]

42. As a Bostonian

myself, I don't think Mass. drivers are really that bad. There are just some things that out of state drivers or recent "immigrants" to Massachusetts fail to take into consideration. For one thing, Boston's streets were the result of cow paths throughout what is considered "downtown." And because houses had already been established, there was no way to make the roads any wider for the lost part. That's why the downtown area is a driver's nightmare, and why those in the know buy shopping carts and carry backpacks, and take the T. Boston has always been a walking city, like NYC, and unless you are making $200,000 a year and can afford to park in a downtown garage, you quickly become a pedestrian.

On the other hand, those who reside in almost every town in Massachusetts learns to drive aggressively. While some can hold their impatience, it is obvious from almost every other standpoint that those who come into Massachusetts are weak-kneed, lily-livered milquetoasts on the roads, driving speed limit in the fast lane, and preventing people from getting to their destinations! It is therefore imperative to say "fuck you!" in the privacy of your vehicle, and go around the somnabitches who are delaying you.

Now, as to where I personally think the drivers are a menace, I would pitch either (or both!) New York City and southern California. New York City should be walked, or taking a cab, because you ain't gonna get far driving. With the complex one-way systems of roads, it is a complete obstacle to try and face it with a car, because the other drivers are likely frustrated and tired, and get impatient with out of towners.

I spent 16 years in L.A. and the San Gabriel Valley, however, and these areas promptly leap to mind when I think of bad drivers. The shocker for me on more than one occasion, is when people miss their exits on the freeway, they will pull into the breakdown lane and then back up to their exit and then get off. A true story--one official in the DMV was arrested a few years back for selling licenses to some people who paid big money for the license, but didn't have the ability to learn to drive. After hearing about that, I always wondered on my many hours on the freeways if I could spot which drivers were carrying those licenses. The "game" became stale when I realized MOST of them were like that. Another true story: I was driving on a return trip to L.A. from Las Vegas one time, and just after Whisky Pete's at Stateline, the traffic slowed down to a near standstill. It was three hours (I'm not kidding) before we reached the top of the hill, where the Chips were telling people to put chains on their tires because there was snow in Mountain Pass (the highest point on the I-15). Most people had to pull over to the side and do that, I guess. I pointedly asked the chip how much snow there was, and he couldn't really give me an answer, so I decided to "dare" it and go ahead without chains or snowtires. We got to the highest spot, and there was (not kidding!) about 2" of slush on the ground!! THAT was the "snow" that everyone was afraid of. My mom and I laughed hysterically, and I never worried about "snow conditions" on Route 15 again.

So yeah--Southern Californian drivers appear to me to be the worst overall.

[MorningGlow]

45. Sorry, ma'am

I've driven in Boston, all over Southern Cali, New Jersey, New York City, and various sundry points from East Coast to West, and I gotta say--Boston takes the PRIZE. So be proud! :hi:

[struggle4progress]

55. When I was living in Boston, drivers felt no compunction about ..

.. using the sidewalk to pass me if they felt I should have entered a gridlocked intersection.

[Critters2]

90. the ex and I honeymooned there (First Night) and he was shocked

when a cabby just completely ran a stop sign in Beacon Hill. He said something to the cabby about it, and the response was "I never stop at that corner, because there's never anyone else there." A few minutes, we drove up on the sidewalk to get around a truck that was unloading at a bar on a fairly narrow street. The ex turns to me and says "Apparently hazard lights mean, 'You can pass me on the sidewalk if you'd like".

[struggle4progress]

106. Yeah. I once had a friend who first got a driver's license at age 30

and moved to Boston from another state about two weeks later. I don't think I need to go into very much detail, since you can probably guess what immediately followed: it certainly could have been much worse, but he did have nontrivial injuries.

[Penndems]

190. The same thing happened in Arlington and Fairfax Counties in Virginia

Eight DMV clerks were arrested and charged with selling driver's licenses to undocumented workers.

Guess they thought they'd never get caught. :eyes:

[flvegan]

43. ...front of me all the time, it seems.

Seriously...

[Kerrytravelers]

47. ... deep REM sleep.

[tkmorris]

48. Pre-school

[InvisibleTouch]

52. Columbus Ohio! n/t

[idgiehkt]

53. SUV's

and cars.

[jeanarrett]

56. Ohio drivers in Michigan.

What don't you understand about a "passing" lane? :)

[AwakeAtLast]

80. And Indiana

but Missouri (misery as we like to say :) ) is a close second.

[we can do it]

139. They Don't Understand It ANYWHERE - They Feel They Are God's Roadblocks

[Mad_Dem_X]

57. PENNSYLVANIA

I grew up in NJ, so I guess I'm used to circles, etc. Blame the people who designed them, not the drivers, for that. LOL

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

65. No, there's just something wrong with them.

They drive like fucking maniacs in their state, but once removed, they immediately slow down to a crawl, even if they're in the left lane. They also enjoy stopping randomly, especially if there's a high chance of causing a car accident.

[TommyO]

71. Not all of us - some of us learned to drive in NJ

before moving to PA, we know how to maintain speed, even when in the left lane.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

72. True.

I don't notice the ones like you, though.

[TommyO]

137. Only because we're keeping up with you.

What I love are the New Yorkers who will plant themselves in the left lane, talk on their cellphones (even though hand-held use is illegal while driving in NJ), drink their coffee, swerve in their lanes and vary their speed from 50 to 85mph!

[begin_within]

59. Hummers

[Strawman]

60. San Fran's and Boston's surface streets and Chicago's freeways

Between the aggressive driving, bumper to bumper traffic and the fact that the streetlights are not overhead (at least on the street I was on to cross the Golden Gate bridge) San Fran was easily the most stressful driving experience I've ever had. Boston is challenging, but I felt like I got the hang of it there after a day or so. The first time I went to Boston I drove around alot. When I came back to MI I noticed that I had become more aggressive, more inclinced to use my horn, etc..

As far as freeway driving, I think Chicago is the worst. I'm from Michigan. When I go to Ohio I feel like I'm an aggressive driver and then when I go to Chicago, I feel like I'm defensive.

[likesmountains 52]

62. New Mexico...no blinkers...no problem...no brake lites...no problem

15 DUI convictions..no problem!

[Ron Green]

87. And you gots to have a cracked windshield, or you're not a local.

[likesmountains 52]

88. and I forgot to mention that mufflers are optional too!

[undeterred]

66. TRUCKS - male truck drivers

Sorry, not all of them. But a bad truck driver is exremely dangerous.

[jpgray]

67. St. Louis

Oof. Lee May Ferry and all those old bizarrely built-up farm roads combine poorly with drivers who have no concept of courteous road use. :D

[AwakeAtLast]

81. And I think they think 70 MPH on state roads is a suggestion

White knuckle driving for me!

[legally blonde]

145. I was going to say STL

but after reading all the posts about NJ and Boston, St. Louis doesn't seem so bad.

[Redstone]

70. Mexico City, followed by Montreal, folowed by Massachusetts.

Redstone

[RebelOne]

132. You ain't seen nothing until you drive around

the mountains above Acapulco. The roads are only one lane.

[Kutjara]

73. ...the car in front of mine.

For some reason, America's worst driver always seems to be directly ahead, usually yakking on their cellphone while simultaneously slapping their kids, eating a burger and combing their hair in the rearview mirror, all while driving at 35 mph in the fast lane of the freeway.

[Critters2]

93. They're usually behind me, driving a good 20 over the limit

while the guy ahead is doing a jaunty 40 mph on Interstate 80. And me in the middle trying to figure out what the hell I'm supposed to be doing!!!!

[EstimatedProphet]

75. denial - they think they can actually drive

There was a study recently that said, in short, that drivers aren't all equal; most of the bad driving is due to specific bad drivers that screw everything up, rather than mistakes being random and everyone making them. So, when the jerk complains about how there's always someone that causes him a problem on the road, it's likely that he's the jerk.

[Crabby Appleton]

76. other vehicles

[leftofthedial]

77. automobiles

[michreject]

82. Michigan

I've driven all over the US and nobody even comes close. They're arrogant, impatient and inconsiderate.

[noonwitch]

125. We're not so bad, just stay off of 696 unless you are planning to go fast!

That's our autobahn and we like it that way. The speed limit is about to go from 65 to 70, and we consider that just a suggestion for right lane drivers.

I think California drivers are scary. My mom has a friend there who drove us all around the SF bay area and down to Monterey and Big Sur. She pretty much drove 100 mph on every freeway and it appeared that everyone else was driving just as fast. We might drive fast on 696 (80-85), but not crazy fast.

[MrSlayer]

84. Normally I'd say Jersey but Florida takes the cake.

Maybe it's just every bad driver in the U.S. converging on the biggest vacation spot in the world but people down there cannot drive at all. It's ridiculous.

[carly denise pt deux]

85. Worst and safest drivers are in ND.........

worst because these folks are allowed to drive waaay beyond retirement and ability level; nothing worse than a 90-year-old driver mistaking the off ramp on the opposite side of the road as a turning lane, ending up driving the wrong way on an interstate (which I have witnessed), and on the next corner another one runs a stop sign (didn't see it) yet on another corner one runs into your car, then doesn't even realize he/she did so (or not admitting it anyway)

BUT....we are also some of the safest drivers, we, since getting our learner's permit, have been forced to drive in ice and snow for 5 months out of the year, so we can drive in just about any inclement weather safely, we have had no choice.

Carly

[Penndems]

89. Florida, hands down

Wonderful state. Terrible drivers. :scared:

[RebelOne]

131. Miami, Florida hands down.

They all drive with their horns.

[Lowell]

143. Yep, Florida is the worse

most of these people came from elsewhere, but they are ours now. A lot of them drive like they just escaped from the funeral home.

[Penndems]

185. It does seem as if every crappy driver in the country moved to Florida

I was driving back to the airport in Orlando from a business trip on the Space Coast back in 1996. Everything was fine, until I got on the Beeline Expressway.

Halfway before I got to Orlando, a guy started following behind me. He got to the point where he was tailgating me (I was doing five miles over the speed limit). When he decided I wasn't going fast enough for him, he decided to try and run me off the road, right after traffic from the off-ramp was trying to merge into my lane.

Talk about scared. The guy was totally off his rocker.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

175. We tried for years to get my grandma in Florida to stop driving...

But she wouldn't. She drove horribly slowly, and her reaction time was just as slow. She didn't stop until we hired someone to come in to help take care of her.

[Penndems]

182. It's so difficult to get seniors to stop driving when they're reaction times have slowed

It's a sign that their independence is being taken away, that time has taken its toll on their reflexes. I don't look forward to the day when I can no longer drive. :( :scared:

[Critters2]

94. I've given this some thought, and decided the worst drivers are in RVs

that can't possibly go over 55, but are there on the interstate nonetheless. Some day, I'm gonna kill one of these--or be killed because of one!!

[liontamer]

95. toxicated n/t

[graywarrior]

96. Florida. Because every damn state is here at the same time all fucking winter.

Boston is second, but at least in Boston everyone has the same rule "Get the fuck outta my way or I'll kill you."

In Florida, there are 50 different rules, plus a few others added in from Canada, Mexico and Europe. It's insane. Then, add the old people.

[Burma Jones]

97. Buicks

[Bonescrat]

100. ...the body of my stepfather? nt

[Skittles]

102. all you people are wrong - it is TEXAS

because they drive like crap while sporting "CHARLTON HESTON IS MY PRESIDENT" bumperstickers :puke:

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

156. Texas has extra driving lanes ..

A lot of the highways have gravel shoulders. Perfect for passing, or for makeshift turn lanes, whatever strikes you at the moment.

[EFerrari]

103. front of me most of the time.

[sweetheart]

105. boston, MA

[MichiganVote]

108. Absolutely Boston! Total driving revolutionaries!

[Shakespeare]

109. The north bay area of San Francisco.

I have lived and driven in DC, LA and SF. The complete fucking idiots in the north bay take the prize hands-down.

Oh, and for years I've said the regional motto in DC seems to be "Die before yielding." ;-)

Hey, at least they know where they're going, and by god, they're gonna get there.

[DBoon]

110. Baja California Norte

combining the worst driving habits of two nations and two cultures

[Tektonik]

111. Los Angeles

It's amazing the shit that's pulled off on our jumble of freeways, oh and the street traffic in the San Fernando Valley can be dangerous when every other car is a SUV being driven by someone with reckless abandon :(

[philosophie_en_rose]

112. Worst Pedestrians in North America are in SEATTLE!!!

Dear Seattle Pedestrian:

I may not be able to refrain from killing you, if you walk across the street when I am going down a steep hill at {5th Amendment} mph and the light is green. You do not have the right of way, when the light is green!! You don't!!!!

[Neshanic]

113. Oh really! No Contest. Arizona. Phoenix metropolitan to Tucson.

I can't believe no one has mentioned this.

Horror traffic acidents. Freeway crossover accident head ons. Worst city for pedestrians on the entire planet.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

115. Houston. And Dallas. Both total recta. n/t

[XemaSab]

117. The car yesterday that I actually called to report

as a suspected drunk driver.

First time I saw them, they were going about 55 (when everyone else was flying at 70-75), and having a great deal of trouble staying in the lane. Wander over the line to the right... jerk the wheel HARD to get recentered in the lane. Wander over the line to the left... jerk the wheel HARD to get recentered in the lane.

I passed them because I was scared by their driving. When I passed the car I saw it was a lady in her late 50's behind the wheel... WAY too old and WAY too young to be driving that way.

About 40 miles further down the road, they passed me going about 85 and still weaving BADLY. I was hungry so I went to get off, only to realize that they were in front of me on the ramp ALMOST COMPLETELY STOPPED about 300 feet before the light at the intersection. They then hit the gas and jammed to the intersection, and hit the brakes REALLY HARD at the light, like "Oh, shit! There's a stoplight at this intersection!." I followed them for a few blocks, and they came to almost a dead stop repeatedly (and randomly) through about a 3 block stretch of road.

At this point I called the cops. I know I'm not the world's best driver, but this person should not have been on the road.

[Drum]

118. Boston!

Well, maybe not worst, but plenty nuts.

[Bullwinkle925]

119. TEXAS!

eom

[jobycom]

147. Best drivers in the country are in Dallas. Worst are in Austin, or Albuquerque.

I used to live in Dallas. I've never seen people anywhere drive as well as they do in Dallas. I've seen furniture fall off trucks and bounce along 635 when all six lanes were bumper to bumper and flying 75, and no one wrecked. It was like watching a NASCAR race. I saw the same thing with an axle coming off a van on 35 once. Six lanes of traffic doing 75 mph bumper to bumper, and this wheel and axle started spinning across the Interstate like some medieval siege weapon. No accidents.

In Austin, anything or nothing can cause an accident, or a traffic jam. You have a goofy mix of college students, professionals, old rednecks, and immigrants of various other nations who are just learning to drive. You can be flying along at 70 on a four lane highway and run up on someone doing thirty in an old pickup down the center line. Drunks drive worse here, too. Worst darn place I've ever seen, and I've driven all over.

Albuquerque is bad, too. It has that same mix of fast and slow, experienced and inexperiences drivers, as well as various groups with completely different philosophies on the Zen of driving. That, and the orange barrels everywhere make it a nightmare.

[underpants]

120. The Star Trek analogy

The drivers from New Jersey are like the Klingons. There is no question that they are evil and bent on destruction.

The drivers from New York are like the Romulans. They are to be viewed with much suspicion but it is not definite that they will turn on your or that they won't. NYC vs. upstate basically.

Then you have the Pennsylvania drivers who are the Borg. They are sent out to piss you off so much that you start driving like they do and thus become assimilated.

LEt me say this-drivers from Ohio have a horrible reputation but I don't really know about that....having grown up around Va. Beach and Williamsburg I know all about the NJ NY and PA drivers.

[Hugin]

144. Yeah, I usually tell Sulu to crank up the shields... Charge up the Phasors...

And warm up a couple of Photon Torpedos when those guys are in the same Sector.

Then I generally flirt with Yeoman Rand ...



Until the "Fight Music" queues up, my shirt gets torn off, and it's time to
start the Autodestruct Sequence.

BTW... Who or What are 'The Borg'?

[underpants]

204. -Example-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borg_(Star_Trek)

[Hugin]

208. Scandinavian SAABs may seem dangerous at first, but, I've found...

having my Chief Engineer transport a load of 'Tribbles' into it's passenger
compartment renders it harmless.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribbles





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_Automobile

[Patiod]

164. Philadelphia drivers prefer different shades of green

Sometimes they sit at a green light, thinking about whether they should just wait through another cycle and maybe the NEXT green will be prettier or more compelling. These are people who strike fear into opposing teams and throw snowballs at Santa, but they are ERRATIC drivers. Not aggressive - just erratic.

[youthere]

127. the ditch?

[we can do it]

138. Summit/Stark County Ohio - n/t

[grace0418]

151. SUV drivers, no doubt.

I think part of the problem is that many SUVs are engineered to handle like cars, so the drivers feel like they're driving cars. I see them zipping around and cutting people off and jamming themselves into spaces much too small for their planet-mobiles and I want to scream "HELLO! You are NOT driving a Mini, you are taking up way more space than that. Please try to be aware of the fact that MAYBE there are other people around you that also have places to go."

[Connonym]

152. MEN I can't believe nobody has stated this obvious fact n/t

[ileus]

155. OHIO

passing lane not driving faster lane...

[Orsino]

158. ...cahoots.

They were definitely out to get me this morning.

[ForrestGump]

161. Well, not including Mexico and Canada

(plenty from each, for sure, and most Americans are better drivers than are the driving population in some countries where I've lived or visited), I'd say:


FLORIDA (SOUTH FLORIDA)
It may have changed, but when I first went there in the '80s and when I traveled regularly through there in the '90s, the driving population seemed to consist of the classic little old snowbird who can't see over the steering wheel of her Cadillac (they never could drive, anyway, in NY or NJ and that didn't change once they got to FL) and idiots hopped up on cocaine.

COLORADO
Coloradan drivers seem to have a pathological predilection for passing only on corners in mountainous areas...on blind corners, as if it was some kind of challenge. I think cocaine has a lot to do with that. Again, this is something I noticed as a consistent pattern, but the last time I was in Colorado was back in the '90s.

SOUTHERN COLLEGE TOWNS
Maybe it's a more universal tendency of sorority girls driving large SUVs (or sporty little cars) that Mumsy and daddy bought for them, but when I lived in a Southern college town my life was daily (several times a day) threatened by these airheads and their nonexistent driving skills...more to the point, their lethal combination of obliviousness, self-centeredness, cell phone, and mistaken belief that they are immortal.

LAS VEGAS
Drunk drivers, drunk walkers, people from all over who do not know how to drive (or who know how to drive quite well, but not on the right hand side of the road)...and the worst of them all, by far, are the f***ing taxi drivers. Vegas taxi drivers are worse than the average, by far, and so bad that even the first-time tourists comment on them soon after arriving. They try to kill me every single day. My vote for worst drivers on the planet.

CALIFORNIA
Since first arriving in this country I have long admired the way that southern Californians drive, just the seamless and perfect union with their cars that spending so much time in them brings. I would say that, technically, southern Californians are among the world's most competent drivers. However, attitude is another story, and -- to my eyes -- it looks like rudeness, Type-A behavior, and sheer aggression have all increased markedly among SoCal drivers over the past 20 years. It's really noticeable here in Vegas, too, in that any time I encounter a particularly aggressive or self-centered driver they more often than not have a California plate affixed (unless they're a Vegas taxi driver, of course). There's a certain spurious sense of entitlement that many California drivers seem to project, too...all of this can utterly negate the technical abilities of a SoCal driver.

There're more, but these are the ones that I have noticed most strongly. In general, of course, I tend to think of Westerners as being better drivers than people from other parts of the US, if only because many in the West spend so much time in their cars.

And I obviously haven't driven everywhere. The traffic in DC is awful, but I never drove there (this was intentional on my part) within the actual city, the closest I came being toodling around Arlington and Pentagon City/Crystal City. Ditto Chicago, where I DID drive -- even with all my hours on Los Angeles freeways Chicago remains site of the worst and scariest freeway I've ever been in, with Philadelphia in second place. I've never even been in many of the northeastern and Midwest states, to any great extent, and I've never driven in New York City.



EDIT: lotsa typos

[WritingIsMyReligion]

162. I only know Bostonian drivers, who are nucking futs.

:D

Plus the massholes who come up and clog the Maine highways all summer long are also not appreciated.

Oh, wait--I forgot the NY State drivers. Dude, you're not in fucking NYC no more--take your foot off the fucking gas. :eyes:

:P

[LaraMN]

163. -evitably sporting one of these:

The man+woman one is almost always gracing the vehicle of a dumpy, disheveled, middle-aged white male (based on anecdotal evidence.)

[smitty]

169. ....tailgating me.

[Shell Beau]

170. The New York City cabbies are the worst drivers. Period.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

172. Even though I once punched a NYC cab, I must say...

they are 1000x worse in Italy.

[Shell Beau]

173. That is a scary thought!! I saw my life flash before my eyes on

quite a few occasions last visit to NY.

[alteredstate]

171. Living in South Carolina

it's true.

[pinniped]

176. Cab drivers,....

followed by airport shuttle vans ( Super Shuttle ) and Lincoln Town Car limo drivers.

[NMDemDist2]

177. Phoenix/Scottsdale Arizona n/t

[KatyaR]

180. ---in Oklahoma City.

Honest to god, at least 15 years ago I was driving down the street, approaching the entrance to a shopping area. It was about 300 feet from a lighted intersection, and I had the right of way. A guy in the shopping center parking lot pulled up to the street, waved me down and yelled "JUST STOP!" (really hatefully, and he looked me right in the eye) so that I had to actually STOP MY CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC so this asshat could pull out into the street! Obviously he thought that he should be able to drive the streets total unimpeded by others--jackass.

I swear to you, I'd still like to beat the crap out of that guy.

[yellowdogintexas]

206. it was probably my uncle, who is now deceased, and he did

not die on the road although I was pretty sure he would. Crazy driver. He used to drive tanks for the 3rd Army so he drove everything like he was in a tank. Oklahoma City should be grateful he never had a Hummer. He tried to drive in the exit lane to a restaurant once and I thought we were dead, but he bullied his way past the driver who was trying to get out, and we all managed to survive.

Seriously, Ok City is hard to drive in because the freeway system is laid out all weird. And is under continual renovation.

[wildhorses]

183. besides the drunks?

flatlanders in the mountains:shrug:

[MrSandman]

184. Cincinnati

At least, back in the day. But I75 and I71 weren't much of a road compare to what was near Akron/Cleveland.

[begin_within]

186. Chinese women who BACK UP on the highway if they miss their exit.

[bertha katzenengel]

187. Washington, DC area -- and especially those w/ Virginia plates.

[Penndems]

193. Ack! Spoken like a true Marylander, LOL!

:evilgrin:

[bertha katzenengel]

194. Heh heh.

:hi:

[smtpgirl]

195. True, so true

used to have VA plates for 10 years, now I have my MD native Bay plates, thank GAWD, I don't commute to NoVA anymore

[boston bean]

188. Living in Massachusetts, I say Rhode Island drivers

I don't live to far from the border and they seem to be the worst to me.

[treestar]

189. Pennsylvania

[baldguy]

191. Canadians

[RetroLounge]

201. -continent

and driving on hwy 19 in florida...

Damn scary place to drive...

RL

[yellowdogintexas]

207. Different stuff for different areas:

I never drove in Boston..never will. If I had to live there would not even think of owning a car.

Traffic in Dallas is terrifying! I don't like to go there except on Sundays or Saturdays.


I have driven in Nashville, Atlanta, Louisville, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, Memphis, St Louis, Kansas City, Miami and Orlando and in assorted smaller cities.

All have their particular problems. Here, if it rains hard or sleet/freezing rain/snow/hail happen to appear, all hell breaks loose. A heavy rain can screw up traffic for hours.

Fort Worth drivers are not so bad. I found this city easier to learn and navigate than any other I have driven in and the drivers fairly courteous.

I learned to drive city traffic in Nashville in the early '70's when their Interstate was under development and no one really knew how to drive on it...nightmare. Nashville is much easier now.

In Evansville, Indiana they like to pull out into the street to check directions before turning. To this day, 16 years later, if some one does that, I say "learned to drive in Evansville"!

Of course I grew up in the country where tractors, combines and grain trucks have the right of way