Bad Drivers

Scott Hardie | April 30, 2011
There are a lot of bad drivers around here. Kelly and I have lost count of how many times we've seen someone driving on the wrong side of a median-divided road, barreling through a red light and nearly hitting another car or a pedestrian, ignoring signs and lights completely and just driving anywhere they feel like, and veering in and out of lanes at high speeds. Depending on the neighborhood around here, the city planners didn't help, creating labyrinthine parking lots with no straight paths through and putting important signs just around bends outside of view. It's anxiety-inducing being on the road here some days, and it's a wonder we haven't been hit yet, although we have seen other people hit. We frequently ask each other why drivers are so insane here.

I know that as we get older, we're inclined to drive more cautiously and be more irritated by the apparent daredevils sharing the road with us. I also know that it's easy to assume that Florida has more than its share of bad drivers because so many lunatics, rednecks, and criminals tend to relocate here, as Florida is a weirdness magnet.

But it also seems like everywhere I go to visit, people tell me that people drive crazy there too. Chicago drivers speed through residential neighborhoods. Milwaukee drivers merge without looking. Charlotte drivers are unaware of the existence of turn signals. I haven't been to St. Louis since I was a kid, but I'm sure those of you reading from that area can tell us horror stories too.

So it got me wondering: Are drivers objectively worse in some areas than in others? Or are we just naturally inclined to assume that when they're bad around us, they must be worse here than in other areas? Human reasoning once led us to think that the Earth was the center of the universe, and still allows some of us to believe that God supports our sports team rather than the other guys. Maybe it also convinces us that our own local motorists are terrible drivers, when in fact they might be statistically better than in many other places.

The data is easy to come by, such as a map showing average driver test scores by state, in which none of us live in the worst states. But every time some bozo cuts inches in front of me without signaling, the calmer side of me is still going to wonder if I'm not imagining a trend that just isn't there. Maybe it will help the angrier side of me not to be so bothered by it.

Chris Lemler | April 30, 2011
I would think Memphis would be the worst cause they drive like nuts just like some of the St.Louis people

Dave Stoppenhagen | May 2, 2011
Southern California hands down for the states, but I wouldn't drive in Tijuana ever again unless i was in an armored vehicle with a big plow

Steve West | May 2, 2011
Not that this is a competition but the major city to which I live next door (DC), had one of the lowest scores on that GMAC insurance scale. I'm completely unshocked.

Erik Bates | May 2, 2011
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Russ Wilhelm | May 3, 2011
Between DC and St. Louis, having several years of experience with both, St Louis get my bid for worst drivers. Both are equally stressful, but the St. Louis area drivers don't pay attention. Merging is a right, and woe be to the traffic on the highway. At a stop sign, you need only look one way before crossing over traffic.

My favorite (True Story, actual words at a rear-ending): "I thought you were going. Why did you stop at the light". To make it worse, the officer taking the statement asked the same question.

Answer: "Because it was red".

I could go on, but suffice to say, they seem to have no idea of what is going on beyond the confines of the vehicle interior.

Thoughts while driving in DC area traffic - "I'm going to die".
Thoughts while driving in St. Louis area - "These people are going to kill me".

Who needs Vegas?

Samir Mehta | May 5, 2011
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Jackie Mason | May 21, 2011
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Scott Hardie | July 3, 2011
Yesterday, we had a front-row seat to watch someone run a red light beside a cop who stopped for the light, then get pulled over and ticketed. Beautiful. People drive through a lot of red lights in this town, but at least the cops do something about it when they see it.

Steve West | November 6, 2011
The results are in!

Tony Peters | November 6, 2011
must be a mistake Rhode island drivers are some of the worst I have ever experiences....right up there with Massholes

Erik Bates | November 7, 2011
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Scott Hardie | November 8, 2011
Missouri drivers didn't seem bad when we visited for GooCon, but we didn't spend long on the road.

Florida's up there at #4. Of course.

Samir Mehta | November 8, 2011
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Scott Hardie | January 24, 2012
♫ Sarasota...
♫ You don't have to stop at the red light
♫ Drive the streets with money
♫ You don't care who's turning left or turning right

Scott Hardie | December 27, 2012
None of the places that we described above as being home to terrible drivers comes anywhere close to how terrifying Russian roads are. The driving there reminds me of the Grand Theft Auto games, where merely pressing the accelerator button makes you go 70mph down busy city streets, virtually forcing you to crash within seconds. Be glad that your city is much, much safer to drive in than anywhere in Russia.