Motorcyclists beware; Miami, Boston and New York top Road Rage survey
The Staff of Clutch and Chrome
May 14th 2008
Although its a
survey about drivers, a recent study of road rage gives
riders on motorcycles the opportunity to rank their cities
and essentially the safety on local roads.
The third
annual In The Driver's Seat Road Rage Survey, commissioned
by AutoVantage, a leading national auto club, found that the
least courteous city in the country is Miami, followed by
Boston and New York. It's the third consecutive year that
Miami takes the crown as road rage capital of America. The
other two cities in the bottom five were Baltimore and
Washington, D.C.
The most courteous city is Pittsburgh, followed closely by
Portland, Ore., Seattle, Minneapolis and Cleveland. New
trends and road rage triggers for 2008: drivers talking on
cell phones, eating, drinking, texting and e-mailing.
The In The Driver's Seat 2008 AutoVantage Road Rage Survey,
released today, was conducted to determine the driving
habits and attitudes of commuters across the U.S. and to
learn more about consumer views on the topic of road rage.
"Unfortunately, road rage is too often a way of life," said
Brad Eggleston, vice president of AutoVantage. "More and
more, in cities across America, people are acting out their
frustrations with dangerous results. And with a gridlocked,
fast-paced, multi-tasking society, the trend continues to
increase.
"There are some very interesting results in this year's Road
Rage survey, which shines the light on emerging driving
trends."
The survey's best and worst cities are:
Least Courteous Cities (Worst Road Rage):
2008 2007
1. Miami 1. Miami
2. Boston 2. New York
3. New York 3. Boston
4. Baltimore 4. Los Angeles
5. Washington, D.C. 5. Washington, D.C.
Most Courteous Cities (Least Road Rage):
2008 2007
1. Pittsburgh 1. Portland, Ore.
2. Portland, Ore. 2. Pittsburgh
3. Seattle 3. Seattle
4. Minneapolis 4. St. Louis
5. Cleveland 5. Dallas/Ft. Worth
Other cities surveyed include Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas,
Philadelphia, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, San Francisco,
Phoenix, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa, Denver, Cincinnati,
and Sacramento, Calif.
This new study focuses on important attitudes and habits of
drivers on the open road nationwide and offers
groundbreaking research and important trends to help educate
and influence safer driving habits throughout the United
States.
Capt. Mark Welch, chief of public affairs for the Florida
Highway Patrol, witnesses the dangers of road rage
firsthand, and his agency has developed a comprehensive
program to keep the highways safe. "When drivers let their
emotions get the best of them, they take it out on other
drivers, putting everyone on the road in danger." The
Florida Highway Patrol is on the lookout for road rage
behaviors, and stepped-up measures include troopers in
unmarked vehicles that track aggressive drivers, as well as
aircraft and motorcycle units that patrol the skies and
roadways for road rage.
Drivers can
check their road rage temperature by taking AutoVantage's
survey
online.
About AutoVantage
Members of
AutoVantage can save from 5
to 20 percent on car care at some 19,000 service locations,
including participating AAMCO, Jiffy Lube, Meineke and
American Car Care Center locations. AutoVantage also offers
24-hour nationwide emergency towing, roadside assistance,
and lockout protection from its network of more than 10,000
emergency roadside assistance providers. Trip routing for
maps and door-to-door driving directions across the U.S. are
also included. AutoVantage is offered by Affinion Group, a
leader in the membership, insurance and loyalty marketing
businesses, providing products and services that touch the
lives of millions of Americans. |
