Who is the best/worst driver?

[Kirk W]

The Best and Worst Drivers by State

[Chalkie]

"States considered to have the worst drivers had the highest rates of each incident factor."

This doesn't make sense to me. For example, Colorado ranks as the 3rd worst in the overall list yet does not show up in the top five of the incident factors.

[noteven]

In Canada a Big Survey was done. It was found that 98% of Canadian drivers say “oh shit!” just as they are about to hit a snow filled ditch. 
The other 2% are from Saskatchewan and they say “Hold my beer and watch this!”

[k4rs]

My son lives in North Carolina and we spend quite a bit of time in the state.  I was not surprised to see that NC is near the top of the bad driver list.  My son says this is because NC is home to NASCAR and the drivers there have a reputation to uphold. 

Edit:  After re-reading the linked article,  I believe the content has changed.

Safe Travels...

Edited November 2, 2021 by k4rs

[mptjelgin]

It is interesting that "speeding tickets" and "citations" are two of the four listed criteria.  So states that issue more speeding tickers or other citations automatically have worse drivers?? In my experience those two factors (number of speeding tickets and citations) are directly an indicator of the level of enforcement effort in a locality or state and in no way are an indicator of driving quality.  We have crazy numbers of speeders where I live, but virtually no enforcement. So we have better drivers??

This entire article is based on analysis of "over 2 million insurance quotes" and really doesn't measure driving ability in any meaningful way. Another example of a garbage article intended primarily to attract clicks. Mission accomplished

[Barbaraok]

Or the number of speeding tickets and citations indicate a state with lots of towns depending of that source of revenue.   

[Kirk W]

2 hours ago, mptjelgin said:

Another example of a garbage article intended primarily to attract clicks.

You could be right. I just happened across it and thought it mildly interesting.  I have driven in CA many times over the years since Pam's family are mostly there and I do think of them when the subject of bad drivers comes up, but I also think that larger cities tend to breed more bad driving that do most rural areas. ND and IA are both states that I have driven in a couple of years ago and don't recall anything noteworthy in either. It has been far too long since I last drove in VA to even have an opinion. I have driven in both OK and KY recently and they may be as good as suggested as we tend to remember bad drivers better than good ones. 

I think that any worst/best comparisons of most things tend to be subjective and most of us are very influenced by our own prospective and biases. 

[Barbaraok]

In sparsely populated states, or areas, where you have lots of small town, we've noticed that the speed limits lowers on state highways as you approach little towns - the smaller the town, the lower the speed limit.  You know, speed traps!   Lots of small towns in West Texas fund the towns that way.   

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, Barbaraok said:

You know, speed traps!

That seems to have been the case in a lot of small TX towns, some of them in east TX too. 

 

[Ray,IN]

Try living and driving in a college city where you have students from all over the world driving on city streets that highly educated politicians(think retired professors) have totally changed to comply with the world-wide Vision Zero pedestrians protection movement.

Edited November 3, 2021 by Ray,IN

[rickeieio]

We've found that generally, as you near large towns, the drivers are more aggressive.  Nearly every time I've been cut off, it was in a large town.

I was the victim of a speed trap in Valentine, TX.  I believe that would qualify as a small town.  The state trouper apologized for pulling me over, saying he had to show "contacts" on his shift.  I received two warning citations, speeding and expired drivers' license.  

[sandsys]

Between Rainbow's End and Livingston the speed limit drops at least three times. But, I never got stopped. Maybe they don't want to irritate Escapees?

Linda

[sandsys]

We have Minnesota nice. That's where at a 4-way stop everyone lets everyone else go first. So everyone just sits there. Until we all go at once. Then every one sits and waits again.

Linda

[TXiceman]

9 hours ago, sandsys said:

We have Minnesota nice. That's where at a 4-way stop everyone lets everyone else go first. So everyone just sits there. Until we all go at once. Then every one sits and waits again.

Linda

And Houston is the opposite.  The basic philosophy here is to HELL worth everyone as long as I get to be first.  Stop lights are being taken as just suggestions and they stop if they feel like stopping.  They might slow down just a bit.

Ken

[Kirk W]

While I am not a big fan of the Quartzsite Big Tent events, I have visited it 3 times and the most memorable part of that was the traffic experience. Even though the streets and roads are overloaded for that period, the majority of drivers there are courteous to each other and will pause to allow the next vehicle into the line. Because of the typical courtesy traffic flows even though extremely heavy. It is the only place that I recall seeing drivers as thoughtful as I see at the Escapee rallies when things back up.

[Ray,IN]

33 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

While I am not a big fan of the Quartzsite Big Tent events, I have visited it 3 times and the most memorable part of that was the traffic experience. Even though the streets and roads are overloaded for that period, the majority of drivers there are courteous to each other and will pause to allow the next vehicle into the line. Because of the typical courtesy traffic flows even though extremely heavy. It is the only place that I recall seeing drivers as thoughtful as I see at the Escapee rallies when things back up.

I  suspect that can be attributed to the mindset of most people who like to camp and travel in an RV. In 2005 we stayed a week in Quartzite, IN SEPTEMBER! The town was practically deserted except for the book-man.

[noteven]

Once you leave southern California in the west you again see more of "the hesitation merge" by drivers. You see them coming and you back off just a tick to open space in front of your Big Rig RV and they respond by matching your speed as they run out of road beside you on the merge lane, while you have no room to move left... why do you have a 400hp personal vehicle?

In SoCal it's like leaving the pit lane under green.  I've had vehicles turning on the merge road off the bridge while I go by underneath beat me to the lane ahead.  That's the way to do it. 

[noteven]

13 hours ago, sandsys said:

We have Minnesota nice. That's where at a 4-way stop everyone lets everyone else go first. So everyone just sits there. Until we all go at once. Then every one sits and waits again.

Linda

🤣 - Skandahoovian migrants brought that to west Canada too Linda.

We were guests in a home in England. The people had visited Ontario Canada the year before. They thought the "4 way" or "all way" stop intersection was the most ridiculous thing they had ever seen.  When I asked why in their polite way they said, "Why would you have to stop if there is no traffic approaching the junction?" 

[rollinbrian]

5 hours ago, noteven said:

Once you leave southern California in the west you again see more of "the hesitation merge" by drivers. You see them coming and you back off just a tick to open space in front of your Big Rig RV and they respond by matching your speed as they run out of road beside you on the merge lane, while you have no room to move left

And the followup look they give you could melt concrete, like you just ran over their dog.

[sandsys]

6 hours ago, noteven said:

Once you leave southern California in the west you again see more of "the hesitation merge" by drivers. You see them coming and you back off just a tick to open space in front of your Big Rig RV and they respond by matching your speed as they run out of road beside you on the merge lane, while you have no room to move left.

The Minnesota driver's manual says the driver on the freeway is to maintain speed while the one on the ramp is to adjust speed. If only it worked that way. Just like the manual says to stay in the right lane except when passing. Only in Europe does that work but it works very well there. Maybe if our roads didn't drop and pick up lanes from either side it would work better?

Linda

[Barbaraok]

Yield and Merge are foreign words for most drivers today.  I am always amazed at how many people don't even realize who is in the next lane to them, let along on the highway they are trying to MERGE into.   And in so many cases, if they would just put their foot down a LITTLE, they could scoot right in in front of us.  

As to the right lane - never get in the far right lane when near any major metro area as that right lane comes and goes so frequently and usually only the locals know when that will occur.  

[sandsys]

42 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:

As to the right lane - never get in the far right lane when near any major metro area as that right lane comes and goes so frequently and usually only the locals know when that will occur.  

Yup. I tend to drive in the next to the right lane. But, occasionally the two right lanes are exit only! And sometimes the exit is a left lane only. Some days you can't win for loosing.

Linda

[Kirk W]

9 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

Yield and Merge are foreign words for most drivers today.

I have wondered if it isn't partly that Driver's Ed in HS is far less common today than it was in the 50's and 60's? When I was in HS in Kansas, Driver's EC was required to graduate unless you had a waiver for disability. I believe that it was taken in the sophomore year, was 1 semester long and each student drove with the instructor twice each week. But school budgets seem to have mostly eliminated the requirement and in many cases the course. When my boys were in HS they did have Driver's Ed but were required to drive outside of class because they only got time in the car once a week or less. My grandchildren were not required to take it in HS and for those in WA it wasn't even offered in HS. 

Like both Linda & Barb, I do not drive in the right lane in city traffic when there are 3 or more lanes. As we now live on the outskirts of Dallas, I make that same practice when driving with the car. 

EDIT: I just checked an none of the HS my grandkids attend even offer Driver's ED. 

Edited November 4, 2021 by Kirk W
Add information.

[Barbaraok]

Kirk, there was no drivers ed in any school I knew about when I was in high school in Washington State in the early 60s.  Everyone learned to drive a tractor on the farms, etc., and practiced either with their parents, or if a girl, with their boyfriend before going to take the test.  I got pretty good driving my boyfriends '56 Chevy, but took the test on my mom's big Lincoln.  Only thing I missed was parallel parking, because the truck on her car ('61 Mercury) looked like it went back a mile compared to that Chevy.   I was not use to the power brakes on her car, and when the examiner told me to hit the brakes for the panic stop - I stomped on them.  He ended up on his knees in the front passenger area.   We STOPPED!  Of course this was in the days before seatbelts when all mothers who drove had developed an automatic muscle reflex of foot hitting brake pedal, right arm flying across kid sitting next to you to keep them from flying through the windshield.😉

[noteven]

9 hours ago, sandsys said:

Yup. I tend to drive in the next to the right lane. But, occasionally the two right lanes are exit only! And sometimes the exit is a left lane only. Some days you can't win for loosing.

Linda

Yes on more than 2 lanes where off and on ramps are frequent I will find a truck to pace in the next to right lane to allow local traffic to merge and exit. 

My Big Rig has fwd signal light at the corner of headlamps, rear/side facing amber signals on the back of the front fenders, amber LED high on back of cab, amber LED low at rear on the rear skirt, side ambers half way down the trailer, rear LED on the trailer. 

So when I get a right side blind spot speed matcher cruiser beside me when I would like that lane I do this:

1. Impart the gentle RV trailer weave and wiggle that is so easy to do with their RV teeter totter axle location. 

2. Illuminate six (6) flashing indicator lamps. After 5 flashes or so begin to change lanes, then weave back like I just noticed them. 

3. Once they are done their text or phone call they make a decision to get out of the way.

Contrary to most war stories on line my ratty pile of RV parts in close formation seems to create it's own safety zone.