Which state has the worst drivers?

[Snoopis]

Speed channel is doing a poll play-off to see which state has the worst drivers. Each week, you get to pick one of 10 states, for 5 weeks. Then they have a "championship."

You can vote here>>> Speed Poll

My opinion?

I have to say that Phoenix(and most of the state of AZ) is the worst I've seen. I've driven in Chicago, DC, Bay Area, Phoenix, and Seattle, and passed through a lot of other places. Phoenix takes the cake. Seattle I didn't find too bad, just crowded. DC and the Bay Area, pretty much the same, lots of traffic. Chicago has a lot of traffic, but I think the drivers there were pretty good, just aggressive and fast. There's no time/space for qtips and/or hippies on the roads in/around Chicago. They get weeded out rather quickly.

However, I'd have to say anyone on I-81 in Virginia needs to learn a lesson about traffic! Virginia by far has the dumbest drivers I've seen.

I was driving back to MD from TN, on I-81, after a holiday. Good god, why?? It was basically bumper to bumper traffic at about 65-70mph. Doesn't sound that bad... yet. Of course, that's the left lane. The right lane is about 3 cars per 20 miles of road, going 64-69mph. NOBODY will move over. Eventually, something happens, and there is a minor back-up. So the left lane, being so crowded, comes to an immediate hault for miles, while the right lane is moving freely as it passes you, still approaching the traffic jam. Everyone sees that the right lane is moving, and they jump in the right lane. Naturally, this frees up the left lane, and traffic is moving again. VOILA!! Everyone jumps back in the left lane... creating traffic jam #2. Screech to a hault. Right lane flies past, so everyone jumps over. Traffic starts to flow again, "better get back in that left lane, Speed Racer".... creating traffic jam #3. You can see where this is going. Over and over and over and...

I can understand traffic jams where there's a lot of cars and not much road, but there's just no excuse for this. Left lane hogs to the max.
That road could have been 8 lanes wide, and nobody would have moved over.

Then there's the people who will fly past you doing 80 or 90 down a hill, while you're doing about 70-75mph. Nothing wrong with that, I like to drive fast sometimes too, even faster than that. But 1/2 mile later you're going up a hill, and that SAME CAR is barely doing 55mph up the hill, and they WILL NOT move over! Have people never heard of cruise control?? I have a 1.9L diesel, if I can maintain speed SO CAN YOU!! And god forbid you try to pass on the right after you sit behind them for a minute and figure out they're clueless, they think you want to race(btw, if you drive a sunfire, cavalier, or explorer in the mountians, I pity you)!
Or, they will be flying up behind you, so you wait for them to pass before you move out from behind the truck you're catching up to. Of course, just as they get next to you, they decide they were going to fast, and slow down, blocking you in. Now you have to slam on the brakes. GRRRRRRRR

Ok, I guess that turned into a rant more than anything.

[2Skinny]

I dont know which state is the worst, but I can tell you around me Connecticut and NJ. EVERY time some ******* in a car does somehting stupid, I notice its mostly CT, and the other half is NJ.

[AnabolicBMX]

Maryland has horrible drivers, IMO

[Timber]

Come to california. You'll be shocked!

You got the crappy astrovans that are so broken down because they are owned by poor trash that they drive fifty miles an hour on the freeway, you have the horrible old people drivers, you have the rice rockets that drive super fast and cut everybody off almost getting into accidents, you have the idiot truck racing drivers who race in the freeway on their truck, spinning out and slamming into three cars (true story, I saw the whole thing and had to run out and help the people on the middle of the freeway when it happened); damn we have it all.

If you're driving in southern california - beware.

[Tim]

Massachusetts in notorious for people who drive like *******s.

[corpsedub]

washington..it's not on that poll..


seriously..50mph in the fast lane is a common thing there

[chiba102]

NJ

That is a fact

[Snoopis]

Originally posted by corpsedub
washington..it's not on that poll..


seriously..50mph in the fast lane is a common thing there

The poll will have 10 different states each week, so I guess you'll just have to check back next week(if you want to vote).

Yeah, I was doing about 80 in a 65 in the Seattle area, no traffic(obviously at night). I caught up to some woman in a minivan. She was doing about 55 in the left lane. Admittedly, I made the mistake of passing her on the right, but just as I did, she crossed about 4 lanes and took an exit... I had to slam on the brakes and the car started to go sideways. That would have sucked had I wrecked the car, because it was rental, being payed for by the company I was in town to interview with. Oh well, I didn't get the job anyway, which is probably a good thing.

[NAWFKappy]

The traffic around Nashville sucks, and Wisconsin as a whole is an absolute nightmare. Both places the drivers just putz down the roads, like going the speed limit will get you ticketed. They suck and are slow.

[XEastCoastHateX]

seeing that your in maryland Id say D.C has the worst i drive down there about once a week and it gets me so pissed....The other day i was going down to DC and the whole south bound lane of 95 was stopped after stop and go traffic for about 1 hour we pass and accident on the other side of the road...I mean WTF why do people need to rubber neck at 10 MPH???wtf that got me so pissed i was yelling and swearing at people out the window...damn makes me mad just t thinking about it

[Just4muscle]

Maryland/DC/Northern Virginia by far has the worst drivers I have ever seen or experienced. I travel frequently and I've been to Miami, Dallas, Houston, Boston, CT, Detroit, Ohio, Penn, NV, and learned how to drive in California so I've experienced alot of areas. I've driven cross country three times....

The DC metro area drivers are idiots. They drive 40 in the fast lane, stop in the middle of the freeway when it snows or rains, and god forbid trying to change lanes. IF, and I mean IF, you happen to get the chance to make a change the person behind you will unmercissfully honk the horn, speed in front of you and slam the brakes, and give you the 1 finger howdy. This area breeds the dumbass....

[Snoopis]

Originally posted by NAWFKappy
...Wisconsin as a whole is an absolute nightmare...

Haha, you think they're bad in WI? Just wait til the cheeseheads cross the state line into IL! I used to live about a mile or two from the state line. It's like Jekyl and Hyde, no joke. IL needs to build a wall.

edit: I see you're in IL, so you probably already know this.

[CITADEL]

I'v always heard that statistically South Carolina has the most wrecks, the highest rate of STDs, and is the lowest in education. Who knows, maybe it's just what they tell us to boost our self-esteem.

[killerkiss1978]

no doubt about it, NY has the worst drivers !!

[SycoraX]

Originally posted by AnabolicBMX
Maryland has horrible drivers, IMO

Bump

[Jimineye]

Originally posted by Snoopis
Speed channel is doing a poll play-off to see which state has the worst drivers. Each week, you get to pick one of 10 states, for 5 weeks. Then they have a "championship."

You can vote here>>> Speed Poll

My opinion?

I have to say that Phoenix(and most of the state of AZ) is the worst I've seen. I've driven in Chicago, DC, Bay Area, Phoenix, and Seattle, and passed through a lot of other places. Phoenix takes the cake. Seattle I didn't find too bad, just crowded. DC and the Bay Area, pretty much the same, lots of traffic. Chicago has a lot of traffic, but I think the drivers there were pretty good, just aggressive and fast. There's no time/space for qtips and/or hippies on the roads in/around Chicago. They get weeded out rather quickly.

However, I'd have to say anyone on I-81 in Virginia needs to learn a lesson about traffic! Virginia by far has the dumbest drivers I've seen.

I was driving back to MD from TN, on I-81, after a holiday. Good god, why?? It was basically bumper to bumper traffic at about 65-70mph. Doesn't sound that bad... yet. Of course, that's the left lane. The right lane is about 3 cars per 20 miles of road, going 64-69mph. NOBODY will move over. Eventually, something happens, and there is a minor back-up. So the left lane, being so crowded, comes to an immediate hault for miles, while the right lane is moving freely as it passes you, still approaching the traffic jam. Everyone sees that the right lane is moving, and they jump in the right lane. Naturally, this frees up the left lane, and traffic is moving again. VOILA!! Everyone jumps back in the left lane... creating traffic jam #2. Screech to a hault. Right lane flies past, so everyone jumps over. Traffic starts to flow again, "better get back in that left lane, Speed Racer".... creating traffic jam #3. You can see where this is going. Over and over and over and...

I can understand traffic jams where there's a lot of cars and not much road, but there's just no excuse for this. Left lane hogs to the max.
That road could have been 8 lanes wide, and nobody would have moved over.

Then there's the people who will fly past you doing 80 or 90 down a hill, while you're doing about 70-75mph. Nothing wrong with that, I like to drive fast sometimes too, even faster than that. But 1/2 mile later you're going up a hill, and that SAME CAR is barely doing 55mph up the hill, and they WILL NOT move over! Have people never heard of cruise control?? I have a 1.9L diesel, if I can maintain speed SO CAN YOU!! And god forbid you try to pass on the right after you sit behind them for a minute and figure out they're clueless, they think you want to race(btw, if you drive a sunfire, cavalier, or explorer in the mountians, I pity you)!
Or, they will be flying up behind you, so you wait for them to pass before you move out from behind the truck you're catching up to. Of course, just as they get next to you, they decide they were going to fast, and slow down, blocking you in. Now you have to slam on the brakes. GRRRRRRRR

Ok, I guess that turned into a rant more than anything.

California. I've driven in L.A rush hour traffic and it's pure hell. It took 3 hours driving from Valencia to San Bernadino! Then we get all the Northern California drivers coming up to my city, since I'm 30 mins away from the border.

[Jimineye]

Originally posted by Timber
Come to california. You'll be shocked!

You got the crappy astrovans that are so broken down because they are owned by poor trash that they drive fifty miles an hour on the freeway, you have the horrible old people drivers, you have the rice rockets that drive super fast and cut everybody off almost getting into accidents, you have the idiot truck racing drivers who race in the freeway on their truck, spinning out and slamming into three cars (true story, I saw the whole thing and had to run out and help the people on the middle of the freeway when it happened); damn we have it all.

If you're driving in southern california - beware.

Bump, I can't stand driving in L.A rush hour. Or pretty much anywhere in So. Cal. I hate the truck drivers who will purposely bunch up and drive 55. Especially on the long stretch from Stockton down to Bakersfield.

[CITADEL]

Originally posted by Jimineye
California. I've driven in L.A rush hour traffic and it's pure hell. It took 3 hours driving from Valencia to San Bernadino! Then we get all the Northern California drivers coming up to my city, since I'm 30 mins away from the border.

That's not really bad driving, that's just over population.

[eru]

You guys are all wrong.

Hawaii is the worst.

Most of our driver's are Asian (thus the highest % of elderly female Asian drivers), the majority of our roads are falling apart (pot-holes everywhere), and nobody uses turn signals.

Our posted highway speeds in some areas are as low as 45MPH.

There are more Volkswagen Bus' and Beatles here than anywhere else in the USA (you think all those hippies moved to Wisconsin?)

As for the person who said NJ was bad -- well, I was born and raised in NJ and NJ driver's are aggressive, but many of them actually have skill. Hawaii on the other hand is just pathetic.

[Jimineye]

Originally posted by CITADEL
That's not really bad driving, that's just over population.

Eh, the bad driving part is when it's bumper to bumper at 75mph on a 6 lane freeway. Then you get some moronic truck driver thinking he is driving a volkswagen bug, and tries to cut in front of your car. Or the morons who flash their brights at you, when they want you to speed up, but if you speed up your're going to rear end the car infront of you.

Or the morons mainly ricers who go from the car pool lane, into lanes 1,2,3,4,5 without a turn signal. Or use the emergency lane as a 7th lane.

[JSD]

damn, have any of you been to North Carolina?? I invite you to RENT a car and drive on over....Be sure to get a plane ticket so you can fly back home.

[CITADEL]

Isn't it funny how a lot of people think their home state is the worst. Maybe someone can find a site showing the statistics on it.

[CITADEL]

Originally posted by JSD
damn, have any of you been to North Carolina?? I invite you to RENT a car and drive on over....Be sure to get a plane ticket so you can fly back home.

I have plenty of times, doesn't seem too bad, except for maybe some of the bigger cities.

[Jimineye]

Originally posted by CITADEL
Isn't it funny how a lot of people think their home state is the worst. Maybe someone can find a site showing the statistics on it.

I actually think my state is one of the better ones. Although I have some pretty dumb people out on the road. The speed limit is 65mph on the freeway, 55 mph while going through cities, such as Medford, Eugene, Salem, Portland. But the speed of traffic is usually 75-80mph. Not too much tailgating, and when I drive in Portland, people are pretty courteous there.

[Ak47]

i just got my permit today! so i guess now you could say illinois has the worst drivers...

[AJbuilder]

Originally posted by eru
You guys are all wrong.

Hawaii is the worst.

Most of our driver's are Asian (thus the highest % of elderly female Asian drivers), the majority of our roads are falling apart (pot-holes everywhere), and nobody uses turn signals.

Our posted highway speeds in some areas are as low as 45MPH.

There are more Volkswagen Bus' and Beatles here than anywhere else in the USA (you think all those hippies moved to Wisconsin?)

As for the person who said NJ was bad -- well, I was born and raised in NJ and NJ driver's are aggressive, but many of them actually have skill. Hawaii on the other hand is just pathetic.

what does being asian have anything to do with bad driving?? you seem to imply that.

[Viking22]

Aggressive is definitely the way to drive around Chicago. Here's a tip: Don't use your turn signal when changing lanes. You'll just be tipping off drivers around you who will make moves to block you off. That and one of our freeways is called "The Afro 500"

I think Fla is pretty bad with all the snowcaps out there. Everytime I drive out there, they have this sign saying, "10,348 people have died on this road this year, so be careful"

[Coliones]

Come to Utah,

The left lane is the slow / stopping lane. When you see blinking lights (either side of hte freeway ... slow down and jam on the brakes hard to watch the perty lights), if you see a car with a flat slow down and watch him change the tire, if there is a car accident drive to the accident signal to change lanes then sit there, when it rains slow down to 25mph and turn your wipers on fly off the window (its only drizzling too), when it snows, gawd forbit anyone bringing their IQ with them watching idiots fly off the road is hilarious, truckers drive like they are in a Geo metros, and Geo metros drive like they are truckers

He he had to throw my $0.02 in

[John Promise]

Originally posted by Tim
Massachusetts in notorious for people who drive like *******s.

But at least they can drive.

In Rhode Island we get so much as a rain drop and suddenly no one knows how to drive in it. God help these people when it snows.

But I would guess NJ has the worst with their insurance rates. My brother pays more on an old jeep than I'm paying with full coverage on one car and liability on a second vehicle.

[Timber]

Originally posted by AJbuilder
what does being asian have anything to do with bad driving?? you seem to imply that.

It's not racist, I have asian friends who admit that for the most part Asian people are bad drivers (but then again, there are bad drivers from every race).

It's just what I have seen driving in Los Angeles, don't get the wrong impression but I have noticed different races tend to drive differently: Asian guys tend to drive really fast in souped up hondas/toyotas and drive wrecklessly; Asian women tend to drive really slow and just cut into your lane for no reason. White people tend to drive really agressivly and if you do anything wrong they will lay on the horn and give you the finger, cut you off then slam on the brakes (I think white people have the worst road rage that exists..). Mexican people tend to drive beat up astrovans or 1970s cadillacs that lean to one side, and they drive really really slow. Most black drivers that I see are actually really good drivers, while some might drive fast they drive cautiously.

I am a college student and I work doing pizza delivery. For example, one time I was backing out and this white couple was flying down the parking lot going towards the exit. I had a SUV parked next to me with tinted windows so I couldn't see past, and I was backing out fairly slow but they just popped outta nowhere and pow, I nailed them. So, I got out of the car and this skinny little white punk flung the door open and he actually said, and I quote "WHAT THE ****! WHAT THE ****! WHY DON'T YOU LOOK WHERE YOU'RE GOING! YOU WANT ME TO BEAT YOUR ASS?" Mind you, he was at least 50 lbs lighter than me and a foot shorter lol...trying to impress his GF I guess. So I calmy told him "It's called an accident for a reason. I couldn't see you because of the SUV." "**** THE SUV! **** THE SUV!!! YOU SHOULD WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING YOU STUPID ****ER. I SHOULD BEAT THE LIVING SH!T OUT OF YOU!." This was in front of my pizza shop with all of my friends working there, what a dumbass.

Not the only time I have encountered "road rage", but it was pretty bad. Most of the times I encounter road rage 99% of the time with White people.

Stereotypes hold true sometimes, otherwise they wouldn't exist. Of course not all races are bad drivers, thats redicious to say, but some of the stereotypes hold up. Some elderly drivers are terrible, terrible drivers while others are well. But the old people driving horribly stereotype is true sometimes, I mean have you seen that old man who plowed into the farmers market killing almost 10 people? I was within like 10 miles of where that happened when it happened...kinda scary.