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Miami tops rude drivers list for 2nd year
Brendan Farrington
Tue, May 15, 2007
AP (Associated Press)

MIAMI (AP) -- For the second consecutive year, rude Miami drivers have earned the city the title of worst road rage in the United States, according to 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 U.S. 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, Oregon; 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 United States.

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.

U.S. cities with most, fewest instances of road rage ranked

Residents in the following 25 U.S. 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, California
9. Philadelphia
10. San Francisco
11. Houston
12. Atlanta
13. Detroit
14. Minneapolis-St. Paul
15. Baltimore
16. Tampa, Florida
17. San Diego
18. Cincinnati
19. Cleveland
20. Denver
21. Dallas-Ft. Worth
22. St. Louis
23. Seattle-Tacoma
24. Pittsburgh
25. Portland, Oregon

Source: AutoVantage's "In the Driver's Seat Road Rage Survey"
 

 
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