New York Is Tops In Road Rage

[Paladin D]

[url="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,526649,00.html"]New York is Tops in Road Rage[/url]
[b][i]New York has overtaken Miami to be voted the U.S. city with the angriest and most aggressive drivers, according to a survey on road rage released on Tuesday.[/b][/i]

[quote]Miami topped the annual poll for the last four years but voters in 25 major metropolitan areas gave New Yorkers the prize for angriest, most aggressive drivers who tailgate, speed, honk their horns, overreact and lose their tempers.

The response of New Yorkers to bad drivers also helped push the city into the top slot for road rage.

"New Yorkers were most likely to wave their fists or arms. They were most likely to lay on the horn and they were most likely to make some sort of obscene gesture," said Michael Bush, of the marketing and consulting company Affinion Group, which commissioned the survey.

Dallas/Fort Worth came in second as the worst road rage city followed by Detroit, Atlanta and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Miami ranked a distant seventh.

Baltimore, Sacramento and Pittsburgh rounded out the top five cities with the most pleasant drivers.

Portland and Cleveland were voted to have the most courteous, considerate drivers.

"The real surprise to me is that there is no geographic way to break down road rage," Bush told Reuters. "It is very much on a city-by-city basis, as opposed to geographic area."

Talking on a cell phone was the behavior that irked motorists the most, with 84 percent of people citing it as the behavior most likely to incite road rage.

Driving too fast, tailgating, and eating and texting behind the wheel also caused stress and incited road rage.

Nearly 50 percent of the 2,518 people who took part in the AutoVantage Road Rage Survey also said other drivers frequently cut across the road without notice.

More than 25 percent of people in the telephone poll reported seeing drivers putting on make-up, shaving and reading while behind the wheel. A quarter said slamming on the brakes and running red lights sent their tempers flaring.

Detroit and San Francisco had the most text-happy drivers, while Miami won the distinction as the city where people were most likely to shave, read or put on make-up while driving.

Most people, 43 percent, reacted to bad driving by honking the horn. But 36 percent resorted to cursing, 13 percent waved their fists or arms and 10 percent made an obscene gesture.

Seven percent were so angry they called the police and [b][u]one percent admitted they had slammed into the car in front of them.

"In Washington, D.C., four percent of drivers admitted to slamming into another driver," said Bush. "They stand out in that one particular category."[/b][/u][/quote]

(Emphasis mine)

Really, who would get *that* mad to be willing to damage their own car just to get at the person infront of them? I get mad at stupid drivers myself, but I don't think I could do that.

[HisChildForever]

Are they talking about the City, or are they talking about the ENTIRE state? It's a little far-fetched to claim that NYC drivers are the same as those up in Syracuse and those out on Long Island.

I'm not a New Yorker but I could pass for one. And I do have road rage. My opinion is that anyone without a Jersey license plate should be prohibited from the Garden State Parkway. Yeah sure, I come across plenty of Jersey drivers that are horrendous, but without a doubt every single out of state driver is the WORST (Pennsylvania coming in at #1).

[Vincent Vega]

[quote]New York Is Tops In Road Rage[/quote]
Hang on, let me put on my surprised face...

[Maximilianus]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1893868' date='Jun 16 2009, 10:05 PM']Are they talking about the City,[/quote]
I'm pretty sure they are talking about the city...which would include you Jersey folks across the river.

Edited June 17, 2009 by Maximilianus

[HisChildForever]

The people in NYC are friendly.

[BG45]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1893868' date='Jun 16 2009, 11:05 PM']I'm not a New Yorker but I could pass for one. And I do have road rage. My opinion is that anyone without a Jersey license plate should be prohibited from the Garden State Parkway. Yeah sure, I come across plenty of Jersey drivers that are horrendous, but without a doubt every single out of state driver is the WORST (Pennsylvania coming in at #1).[/quote]


I didn't have that bad a time on the Parkway. And after coming back from driving it, I was such an aggressive driver compared to everyone else...

[CatherineM]

When my brother and I were visiting relatives in NYC, he was surprised at all the horn honking. By the time we left, he was honking right along with everyone else. It's contagious.

[Paladin D]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1893884' date='Jun 17 2009, 12:14 AM']The people in NYC are friendly.[/quote]

I've had mostly good experiences in NYC, including with the people.

However, Phillies are better than the Mets.

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1893950' date='Jun 17 2009, 12:07 AM']When my brother and I were visiting relatives in NYC, he was surprised at all the horn honking. By the time we left, he was honking right along with everyone else. It's contagious.[/quote]

The streets in Manhattan are pretty congested all the time, plus you have a LOT of pedestrians (many of whom are tourists). That explains the honking. In the City, people ARE friendly - like I said - but they're honest and blunt. Especially when it comes to cars and pedestrians.

[CatherineM]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1893988' date='Jun 16 2009, 11:31 PM']The streets in Manhattan are pretty congested all the time, plus you have a LOT of pedestrians (many of whom are tourists). That explains the honking. In the City, people ARE friendly - like I said - but they're honest and blunt. Especially when it comes to cars and pedestrians.[/quote]

Everyone was very friendly when we were there. The people who live in the apartment my father was born in, let us come inside and look around and everything. They didn't know us from atom. I guess with Okie accents though, they figured we weren't local burglars or something. I still remember my cousins fighting over which bakery they were going to buy bagels at.

[Paladin D]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1893988' date='Jun 17 2009, 01:31 AM']The streets in Manhattan are pretty congested all the time, plus you have a LOT of pedestrians (many of whom are tourists). That explains the honking. In the City, people ARE friendly - like I said - but they're honest and blunt. Especially when it comes to cars and pedestrians.[/quote]

You would be suprised at how many people think the populace in NYC (or let alone most cities in the Northeast) are rude. It's a misconception simply due to the social attituide. We're more prone to tell it like it is.

Some of the nicest people I've met in my travels are from my home turf in the Northeast.

[CatherineM]

I think NE people may seem ruder simply because they are always in a hurry. Life goes much quicker there, and that is just so stressful.

[Paladin D]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1894002' date='Jun 17 2009, 01:41 AM']I think NE people may seem ruder simply because they are always in a hurry. Life goes much quicker there, and that is just so stressful.[/quote]

That is true. I had a couple who moved from Philadelphia down to Georgia (outside of Atlanta), and the husband couldn't take it. After about a year, they decided to move back to Philly. There wasn't much of a good sports culture like in Philly, and how slow people talked also drove him mad too.

Edited June 17, 2009 by Paladin D