Road Rage Reaction

We asked for your reaction to the Road Rage survey we conducted for AutoVantage.  Here's what you said:

James from Orlando:   Just read an article on MSN.com concerning the top 25 road rage cities in the US.  Very surprised Orlando, FL was not researched, since Miami was listed as number one.  Next year, I would recommned including Orlando since so many people have moved from Miami to Orlando.  You would be very surprised in the survey results, because crime is up, road rage is up, and Orlando is becoming a large city very quickly.  That means the good with bad...

Adam from Miami area:  "I absolutely agree.  I have lived here my entire life and have driven in almost every state and I completely agree that we have the worst road rage ever."

Nancy from Little Rock:  I was raised in the Washington DC metro area and can certainly vouch for the horrendous drivers there!  I WAS surprised to see Tampa, where I lived for two years, in your top ten listing of courteous drivers - I'll have to disagree with you on that one. (smile)  I'm not at all surprised that Pittsburgh was #2 - it is a city chock full of good people with a courteous nature.  Well, that's what I think.  These surveys are interesting and fun.  I enjoy them.

Todd from Minneapolis:  Me & my wife lived in Dallas, TX for three years & after completing residency we now live in Minneapolis, MN (3 months now) as my wife is performing cornea fellowship.  Driving was much safer in Dallas, TX & we've done much of it in both cities.  In the past ten years I've lived & worked in Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas & Minneapolis.  I would rate them as follow with 1 being best:  1). Dallas  2). San Diego  3). Chicago  4). Los Angeles  5). Milwaukee  6). Madison  7). Minneapolis.

As a technology consultant i've traveled to many cities & in all honesty Minneapolis is the worst city in terms of dumb, impatient, slow & blind drivers.  They also have the worst road system I have ever seen & ditto for Milwaukee & Madison.  Roads are designed so poorly in those cities it is causing delays daily & running up fuel demand & pollution & these states don't care!

Lee Ann from Pittsburgh:  I'm from Pittsburgh, PA and I would have to agree that we do have one of the most courteous cities around.  However, I've been living in Eastern TN for the last year- 1/2. (BIG YAWN) How about conducting a survey on the "MOST STUPID DRIVERS"?  TN would surey TOP the list.  I've never in my life seen such stupidity here in Eastern TN (Knoxville area and Clinton/Oak Ridge area).  These people stop for green lights and run red lights.  The elderly people drive slooooowly in the left lane and sometimes they can't decide what lane they want, so they drive down the middle.  Please keep in mind that I lived in San Diego, CA for 15 years AND L.A.  I'm not sure who's handing out their drivers licenses, maybe a bunch of crack heads.

Jane from Fort Worth:  I just read an Article about a Survey you did on cities with the highest Road Rage.  Miami was the worst for a 2 yr. run.  But it shocked me with I saw Dallas/Fort Worth was one of the Friendliest.  This is so NOT true.  I lived in Houston for 8 years, then moved to fort Worth 3 years ago and I want to say I hate Houston but the drivers in DFW are 10 worst with Rudeness and Road Rage.  (I LOVE Fort Worth People for I call it Friendly Fort Worth but driving is getting worst all because of Dallas people moving to Fort Worth and driving around there also).  I hear about it 6 yers ago from a close friend that had worked inthe Houston are for 2 years with me then went to work in Dallas for 2 to 3 yrs and even she said it was horrible in Dallas.  Remember that was 6 yrs. ago.  Then I moved there and experienced it.  You might want to take a closer look at DFW.  VERY RUDE!  I'm 50 years old and travel by car for my Business for the last 10 years in Texas and sometimes in Louisiana and DFW is 10 times worst then any place I have been.  I am NOT saying worst then Miami, for I never drove around there.  But DFW is BAD and I hate to say that for I would rather say Houston's worst because that's a HORRIBLE City to live in.  In Houston 8 out of 10 people are Rude.  That's my experience on a Daily experience in 8 years.  (I'm NOT along about that opinion either).

John from Arlington:  Being from Dallas, living in Arlington and spending much time in Fort Worth - I can state from experience that it is not valid to combine Dallas and Fort Worth drivers together with respect to behavior and consideration for other drivers.  I suspect Dallas would be much higher than Fort Worth on the road rage list.

Christian from St. Louis:  I saw the results of your \"road rage\" survey and disagree.  You state that St. Louis drivers are one of the least likely groups to curse at another driver.  Obviously no one from your firm actually tried to drive a car in St. Louis... the drivers here are very \'lane greedy\' and if you dare pass a driver you will be cursed, chased, and gestured to.
I drove in L.A. for 12 years and *never* did I face the hate and rage that I face daily in St. Louis.  Middle aged women in mini-vans with \"give peace a chance\" stickers do
not hesitate to yell at me through their closed windows.  Next time, drive in the city you rate.

Suzanne from DFW area:  I just read your road rage traffic research study. I live outside of
Dallas - I commute 28 miles (one way) a day into Dallas. You are dead wrong - Dallas hould be further up in the poll. You should not put Fort Worth and Dallas together in the poll. The drivers in Fort Worth are polite - the drivers in Dallas will run you off of the road. I know - they\'ve tried to run me off the road. 

Meryl from Orlando:  Read about your survey on the cities with the rudest drivers.  Obvious
that you've never driven in Orlando, FL. Combination of tens of thousands of new citizens who don't know the roads using phones, running red lights, combined with hundreds of thousands of tourists who don't care how they drive, because the car's a rental, make for a "Toads Wild Ride" on the roads down here. Also - the motor vehicle laws DON'T include using your signals when you change lanes, only when you "turn" a corner!!!  Hang on to your seat belts, folks, Orlando is truly a rude place to drive.

Nancy from West Palm Beach:  JUST A NOTE ABOUT THE RUDEST DRIVERS:
yES THIS IS VERY TRUE - i AM FROM WPB, FL - ITS SCARY TO EVEN GO TO
MIAMI - BUT IN ALL CONSIERATION WE ARE THE TOURIST CAPITAL AND ALL THESE
TOP OTHER PLACES OF RUDEST DRIVERS HAVE EITHER RELOCATED HERE OR ARE
VISTING AND COMPOUND THE PROBLEM BRINGING THERE HORRIFYING DRIVING HABITS
WITH THEM(USUALLY FROM UP NORTH SOMEWHERE)! THE NORTHERNERS ARE ABOUSUTELY
SOME OF THE RUDEST PEOPLE WE SOUTHERNERS HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED.

Rick from Miami:  Your research project concerning bad drivers completed for CNN. It is so
true , I live in the Miami area (Kendall). Just driving to work each day is unbelievable. To me it seems local enforcement here could care less what people do while driving. Just thought to let you know, you guys were right on the money with this one. Miami is truly a third world city.

Michael from SW Florida:   I would like to know how it is that you get a small percentage of a 300,000,000 person population, which supposedly tells you how that population is, and what it is doing. You could probably go to any one city in the United States and get a very similar opinion from just about anyone depending on their psychological makeup, their income, their upbringing, or any other variable you might be interested in adding. I personally have driven all across this country many times and Denver (and yes, Florida)
are some of the worst states to drive in. And that encompasses most of the metropolitan cities there. (I also live in the south west part of Florida)  You take your life in your hands driving anywhere Florida.  There are two aspects to driving on our roads that I want to address. One is the cell phone rage, and the other is the road rage.  I find that most people wherever they are who drive with cell phones blazing are females under the age of thirty, and they are borderline "Road Ragers" if you catch them at the wrong time. However, a lot of the time age is immaterial. I see more trying to do the same maneuvers while on the phone that they do when they are not, and they swerve, and weave without what looks to be much control over their vehicle. And, all this at en to fifteen miles per hour above the posted speed limit.  Men under the age of thirty are the ones, mostly, who are the rude though especially those who do not know the rules of the road. Some are those who have not been in this country long or they do not care. Or, they are the same under the age of forty, or fifty, or sixty, who have a bad day or just a bad attitude when they get behind the wheel. This may be mere conjecture, but it is happening, none the less. For example, yesterday I was on a street in the slow lane doing the speed limit, emphasis on slow, and speed limit. This young man came up behind me right on my bumper, music blaring, laying on that horn that was so loud it caused me to jump, obviously not factory issue. I saw as I made the turn left that he was a young Hispanic man. He drove one of those small over throated mini cars we see on the road everyday with the spoiler on the trunk, and the load paint job. He looked at me like I was the crazy one. In his mind, I was in his way, and all he wanted was for me to move, because he wanted to get passed me on to the next victum. Get an opinion on that.

In addition to everything else are those with the big over-sized, SUVs. Some are just bullies trying to burn up all the fuel to get from one block to another across town doing ninety miles and hour. As long as you have the money, you can burn the fuel. There is no frugality when it comes to waste. Forget about the other guy who has to pay half a days wages just to get to work for a week. And most road rage is due to that one person who does the speed limit (as I did) where everyone else is doing, again, ninety and you happen to get in their way. Really, if you have ever gone to a country in close proximity to the South, you would know what I am talking about. And ask the people in this country how they feel about all the immigrants pouring into this country who do not know how to drive. And, I mean from any other country, not just our neighbor to the South.  Another perfect example of road rage, was here in Colorado where a man who was upset at another, sped around this vehicle ahead of him, got in front of that vehicle, slammed on his breaks causing this other driver to swerve abruptly, which caused him to jump the dividing line on I-25 killing another person going in the opposite direction plus the passenger in his vehicle. The Hispanic person who caused all this was not harmed and received life in prison for his actions in a road rage case for First Degree Murder. Check to see how many states have a reduction in road rage after someone has been convicted of First degree Murder as the result of their actions on the "Rude Road" of America. Or, check to see how many mimic that driver in doing the same move, which I see all the time. The driver doesn't like something that someone else did and jumps in front of
that car and slams on the breaks. It happens every day. This is a typical infantile control move, which is getting worse all the time. Their behavior goes to show that some people learn nothing from their, or others mistakes.  Ultimately, this country is getting worse and we really are doing relatively nothing about it except to do surveys and studies. Only when we  get it through peoples heads that our roads are not for play time, will we will all benefit, and that not paying close attention to our surroundings causes most of what is happening out there. When are we going to take action and do something?  By the way, a law passed in 2006 which allows Mexican truck drivers complete access to our roads. I wonder what the entire populace would say about that. Ask the opinion on that too, if you dare. Please don't get me wrong. I have nothing against any one race, or any gender. They all make mistakes by getting in a hurry and believing that they are the only important one on the road. They are just children with big, expensive toys, and they kill each other everyday with that attitude. I believe rudeness to be running rampant on our highways, and it is a wonder that we are not shooting each other everyday, because someone got in our way, or we didn't get out of someone's way. I have to look at this subject from both sides, because I am guilty of doing the some of the same things until I realized that I was either going to kill someone or they me. It is a lot safer on the road when we just consider the other guy and slow down, make that call on the side of the road, and just let other people be. Get an opinion on that.