Miami Heat: City Tops Road Rage List

For Second-Straight Year, Miami Drivers Earn Low Marks For Courtesy Ahead Of New York And Boston

(CBS/AP)  For the second consecutive year, rude Miami drivers have earned the city the title of worst road rage in a survey released Tuesday.

Miami motorists said they saw other drivers slam on their brakes, run red lights and talk on cell phones, according to AutoVantage, a Connecticut-based automobile membership club offering travel services and roadside assistance.

Other cities near the top of the rude drivers list were New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

South Miami resident Erik Pinto told The Associated Press that he has probably seen every bad driving habit on Miami's roads.

"You don't want to know what I've seen," Pinto said. "I've seen everything. I'm from L.A., and we don't see the crazy drivers that you see here."

The most courteous drivers can be found in Portland, Ore.; Pittsburgh; the Seattle-Tacoma area; St. Louis; and Dallas-Fort Worth, the survey found.

Portland drivers were the least likely to see other motorists tailgating on the roadways, and St. Louis motorists were the least likely to swear at another driver, according to the survey.

Minneapolis-St. Paul was rated the most courteous city in 2006 but fell to No. 12 this year.

The most frequent cause of road rage cited in the survey was impatient motorists. Drivers also said road rage can stem from poor driving in fast lanes and driving while stressed, frustrated or angry.

"The best piece of advice is to take a deep breath. Slow down, be aware and be careful," AutoVantage spokesman Todd Smith said, adding the aim of the survey is to increase driver safety across the nation.

More than 2,500 drivers who regularly commute in 25 major metropolitan areas were asked to rate road rage and rude driving in telephone surveys between January and March. The survey was conducted by Prince Market Research has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Road Rage Top 25

Residents in the following 25 cities were surveyed and are listed in order from those reporting the most incidents of road rage to the fewest:

1. Miami

2. New York

3. Boston

4. Los Angeles

5. Washington, D.C.

6. Phoenix

7. Chicago

8. Sacramento, Calif.

9. Philadelphia

10. San Francisco

11. Houston

12. Atlanta

13. Detroit

14. Minneapolis-St. Paul

15. Baltimore

16. Tampa, Fla.

17. San Diego

18. Cincinnati

19. Cleveland

20. Denver

21. Dallas-Ft. Worth

22. St. Louis

23. Seattle-Tacoma

24. Pittsburgh

25. Portland, Ore.

[ecuadoriana]

I can't say for sure the truth in the fact that Miami has the worst drivers. According to Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry they're the worst in the world & he should know- he lives there.

But I do live 3 hours north of Miami. Every time I have to drive to MIA to pick someone up I play the "Count the Accidents Per Mile" game. The accidents really do start adding up the closer you get to Miami. One time, with only about 80 miles left to go, we counted 29 accidents. That's 2.75 accidents per mile, with each accident involving at least 2 or 3 cars.

There are days when I95 looks like a war zone.

[mjones62254]

America's new motto is "It's all about me."
This is evidenced on the highways...during gas shortages...water restrictions...public message boards. No one has any civility anymore.

George Carlin once said, "people who drive slower than me are idiots and faster than me are morons."

go to hell jerry falwell

[ralan40]

This survey means nothing. If you read carefully you'll find that only 25 cities were surveyed. Miami is only the worst of the 25, not the worst in the nation as the headlines would have you believe. Where's Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Nashville, San Antonio, Orlando, Kansas City, and Austin? These cities are bigger than some of the cities on this list. A stupid story based on a flawed survey. Considering all the inattentive and rude drivers out there, I'm just amazed accident rates aren't 10-fold to what they are actually.

[michellem99-2009]

I live in Seattle. Have for 8 years. I have to use mass transit as does my room mate. There are rude drivers every where in this nation. Road rage is here. Rude drivers runing the lights,don't walk/walk sign,cutting others off, yelling out their windows,hitting others etc. I know. I live here.As a legally blind person I am safety minded.
I am for mass transit.Rush traffic is awful.
The drivers need to be mindful of the task of driving not others stuff while driving. Drive safe. Driving is not a right. They are granted a license to drive, BUT at the same time that license can be taken away.
Plan things out. USE COMMON SENSE. Good,safe driving habits needs to be preached.

[randalds]

Road rage here in Los Angeles is the main reason my wife won't let me buy a hand gun. Out here you see it all and I can't believe Miami is worse. What bugs me the most though is not the crazy drivers, but the just plain bad ones. Ones who don't signal lane changes or try to pull out of stores left across traffic in the middle of a busy street, thereby scre*wing the traffic flow up for both sides of the road. Inconsiderate drivers who think what they're doing is more important then what everyone else is doing. While I don't advocate freeway shootings myself, I can certainly understand the people who are pushed far enough to do it. Some people (drivers) need dying to keep the gene pool cleaner.

[frankbowers]

Why is it two drivers get side by side and then try to race while not exceeding the speed limit or driving at least 10 mph below the speed limit and hold up the driver who just wishes to go on. or they get in the left lane and prepare to turn left (with turniong signal on)and wait until just the last second to move to the turning lane the entire time slowing down to 2 miles an hour. While not failing to be able to dial home and tell the wife/husband to kick out the idiot there as they are cuming and wants them to be ready. The best of good byes frank bowers in austin,tx

[jdubs63]

Road Rage? What is that?? Glad my city is not listed and in my daily commute I have never seen this. I think I might be afraid to drive the left lane after reading all of the above. What is considered SLOW in the left lane? 75 or 80?

[smb221]

I have to agree that Houston is a very scary place to drive!

[ecuadoriana]

I always think: What's the big rush? That hole in the ground that you'll be buried in isn't going anywhere, so why are you in such a hurry to get there? Slow down, enjoy your life while you have it.

If you're running late, plan your time better. Don't oversleep because you were up late watching TV. Stop multi-tasking. If you've too many things on your plate it's because you're the one who over filled it!

My grandma had the sayings: "The hurrier you go the behinder you get" & "One thing at a time & that done well is a very good rule as many can tell". I've lived by them so I'm never late & I actually enjoy the things that I have to do.

What's truely scarry is when I see parents speeding down the street & cruising through stop signs, talking on the cell with the kids in the car. What kind of drivers will those kids grow up to be if that's what they're learning from their parents?! They're learning first hand road rage, disobeying traffic signs & speed laws, foul language & accompanying hand signals!

The only 2 times I've been in accidents were when the other drivers, both teenagers, ran stop signs at higher rates of speed than the posted limits. Both times I was severly injured & only my years of experience saved my life. The one girl said to me, while I was sitting there bleeding "Ah, don't worry. My parent's insurance will pay for this." Not a good sign for her future on the road or those she comes in contact with.