analog

This poll and discussion is here to measure the opinions of the people who post, not to compare crash statistics and whatnot (though feel free if that's your wish).

So do you spend a lot of time on the road? Or even if you don't, what is your general impression of the driving public?

Think of all the times you've ever been cut off, drivers who go to change lanes without looking at all or (perhaps worse) just drift over at will. If you've ever been (or very nearly been) in an accident or witnessed one directly, think about the drivers involved.

As for me, I would report a huge problem with the elderly drivers down here in Florida. A huge, huge number of them have no business whatsoever being on the road. In my opinion, they're the second biggest offenders in the "can't drive" spectrum. I won't even get into who I feel are the worst drivers in general.

So there you go. Share your stories, check off the boxes of those groups you feel are the absolute worst drivers, and enjoy the ensuing dialog.

p.s.- tales of generic road rage are fine, but we're aiming more for those who simply can't drive worth a damn, not those who yell and cut people off intentionally. lol

I encourage everyone to be honest without fear of retribution- which means if someone speaks out against a group and you're in it, don't go yelling at them. Let's just all make sure we respect each other by not making things personal.

That said- enjoy!

mixedmedia

Other than elderly drivers (like you mentioned) I'm not sure I can narrow it down to one subset of drivers, but I can tell you that drivers in Central Florida (where I live) seem to be much worse drivers than in other parts of Florida. Don't understand it, but there it is.

People who talk on cell phones while driving tend to drive shoddily - my nephew is having to have his face rebuilt right now because he was driving and talking on the phone - so BEWARE!

....well, I wasn't going to say this but what the hell...I really hate to say it because I am a woman...but I find that women are very often, and this is just from my own experience and observation, much more aggressive and reckless on the road. What's more they are most often rude and inconsiderate. Of course, there are exceptions and there are many men on the road who drive like idiots, but when I see something that makes me go "wha?" and get close enough to see the driver, MOST of the time it is a woman. Gotta call it like I see it.

Of course, I am a courteous and excellent driver.

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warrrreagl

A couple of categories are missing, based on my experiences where I live. The worst drivers I encounter are 18-wheeler transfer trucks and goofbag rednecks in pickup trucks that have lift kits and grills.

When I was learning to drive, my father taught me to always drive in a way that would make a trucker appreciate me, because they were ALWAYS the best, most courteous drivers. Now, whew! Truckers scare the fucking shit out of me. They don't adjust their speed for the road situation anymore and they tailgate like crazy.

The good old boys in tricked-out pickups are just as bad as they seem to WANT to push you off in a ditch. I hate looking in my mirror and seeing one of those roll-bar type grills filling up my vision, because I know I'm in for some testosterone intimidation. Earlier this fall, I lost one of my students who was killed when the pick-up truck she was riding in with her boyfriend flipped. It seems that his lift kit malfunctioned and caused him to lose control. I hate them. Lift kits and roll bars belong in the woods, not flying down the highway running up in my trunk.

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mixedmedia

I agree with warrrreagl about the 18-wheelers. They truly are some of the most hazardous drivers on the road. And has anyone noticed that UPS drivers tend to drive a little crazy?

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Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

maleficent

Don't you know by now.. the worst drivers are everyone who is in the way of the person who is currently driving...

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NCB

I dont know why it is, but Asian females cant seem to drive worth a damn. I know its a stereotype, but sometimes those stereotypes just ring true

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Carno

OLD PEOPLE.

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frogza

Old people, cell phone users and teens and the missing group are bullet bike riders.

Whenever I see some idoit weaving in and out of traffic as fast as he can on his bullet bike with no helmet, all the stats on motorcycle deaths are clarified all over again.

ratbastid

I don't know why it is--and it could be selection bias on my part--but it seems like most times when I pass somebody who's camped out in the fast lane of the freeway, it's a young black woman.

I selected teenagers and the elderly. I'm sure there are exceptions to both, but I know when I was a teen, I was way more interested in the girls on the sidwalk than I was on the saftey of the vehicle I was driving.

little_tippler

The elderly, but not all of them

You can only drive a car at 18 here so teens isn't an option really, but generally the younger the more wreckless I'd generalise

People on cellphones are most definitely the WORST

Some women can be pretty nasty

Here in Portugal I find most men think they own the road and love to cut off women drivers and swear obscenities at them through the rolled-up window, and also most NEVER signal (god forbid )

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JustJess

Actually, I have to go with a stereotype. Boy oh boy, my friends are going to kill me.

Asian drivers IN GENERAL are the worst drivers, anywhere. They don't signal, they wander, they drive too slow in every lane - everytime I come up on a car like this, I always think it's going to be an old person who can't see or something, and nope, it's an Asian person. Male, female, whatever.

2nd worst are SUV drivers (I didn't pick it because I don't think minivans are the same). SUV drivers think they can be complete assholes because they're bigger. I always have the last laugh since it's usually THEM that are rolled over in the ditch because they thought they could drive through rain/snow/etc. like it was nothing. Idiots.

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fresnelly

A bad driver is someone who drives unpredictibly. Anytime you are suprised by a move, or questioning what someone's going to do next, you're witnessing a bad driver in action.

Driving predictibly means signalling your intentions in advance (always), changing lanes smoothly and slowly, and staying with the flow of traffic.

After working as a driver for a theatre company for a couple of years, I leaned not to typecast drivers by their vehicles.

I've got more to say but I have to get back to work.

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mixedmedia

I'm gonna have to concur with folks about the Asian drivers, too.

Boy, I is despicable. But it's not all my fault, I grew up listening to my dad curse out bad drivers. Now I have a hyper-awareness of them, and I kind of sound like him now, too.

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PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

ngdawg

I voted 'elderly', but I'd narrow that down more and say elderly women. And if it's an elderly Asian-Indian woman, might as well just pull to the side and take a nap. Same with any car with more than just the driver; two or more elderly women in a car and you're begging for road rage. (The ongoing joke around here is that it's mandatory you must buy a Buick LeSabre at the age of 65).
Second place, at least here in NJ has to be hispanic teens. They're notorious for weaving, running lights and stop signs and using turn lanes to pass; they lean so far over, they look as if they're driving from the passenger side. They don't drive, they cruise and race and God help anyone in their way. Add cell phones to that combo, most times. At the stop light on my own street, when our side gets the green, we all know we still have to look both ways before going; even then, I've come extremely close to T-boning these kids multiple times.
The laws in NJ state that for the first year of driving, a teen can't drive alone after midnight-I'm not so sure this is a great idea as a car full of teenagers is a distraction to the driver. Add the blaring music, a couple of cell phones and we're talking calamity in the making(there's been a rash of fatal accidents involving high school kids here lately-perhaps a result of these laws?)

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warrrreagl

Grancey and I got a good giggle the other day as we watched a patrol car light up an Asian driver on a major thoroughfare. They were headed in the opposite direction from us and it was obvious the driver had no clue there was even a cop behind him, much less that he was being pulled over. That particular road stretches out straight for a long, long way and as we watched everything in our mirrors, that Asian NEVER pulled over. As they were finally going out of sight, he was still motoring happily along with a lit-up police car on his ass.

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Willravel

All of the above. I haven't seen a turn signal in weeks. I've seen people, old or young, white, black, asian, latino, or otherwise, in cars and trucks of all different shapes and sizes, driving like maniacs or blind people or mentally disabled people. It's wrong, and it's tempting to go driving with an overpowered painball gun to teach them a lesson, but alas, that would make me one of them.

Cynthetiq

everyone else but me.

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Siege

I can say that I'm not a good driver. It has nothing to do with asian-ness though . The important part, is that I know that i'm not a good driver.

The worst driver is the one that thinks they're competent when they're terrible.

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Ustwo

Female Asians off the boat, closely followed by male asians off the boat.

Hands down.

Multiple, multiple, multiple incidents over many years.

For example: My wife (and everyone else) in her last company refused to drive with 'Jenny'. She was from Japan, recently off the boat, a scientist, and didn't think you needed to look at the road to do things like merge. She would have a conversation with you looking you in the eye while she drove.

I can recall with a sort of mirthfull horror, of watching an asian man try to back down a Chicago street after missing a turn. He had to be 3/4ths of a block from that turn.

There just seems to be a disconnect where they don't see anyone else on the road.

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Ch'i

I was torn between elderly people and those on cellphones.

Another good one would be soccer moms/dads who try to get as close as physically possible to their child's school, no matter the cost.

Of course, there are plenty of those who just cannot drive.

Lindy

I have a cousin who is a Kansas state trooper. He says the worst are young girls/women--because they drive fast and obliviously, just not paying attention. Also often in cars that you just shouldn't drive fast--like a fifteen year old Ford Escort with bald tires going 90mph. Boys/men are more likely to be aggressive drivers--but at least they are paying attention, and also more likely to be driving a car that is designed to go fast.
I agree with ratbastid. One of my pet peeves is "left lane Lannies" and "middle lane Millies" who just won't move over.
Lindy

pan6467

I didn't vote because I didn't see Michiganders, NYers or Semi-truckers on the list, those are the 3 worst drivers as a group, in my personal experiences.

From the choices on the list tho, since I don't really drive looking at people in the cars as I passby, I have to defer to my own experiences and they are Cellphone users (especially smoking). I know I drive worse when on my phone, it's harder to maintain focus, trying to steer, smoke and talk on the phone requires 3 hands, I only have 2 soooooo......

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Leto

Chinese Women is not a choice??? (Ahhhhh ! don't hit me. but empirically, my wife is one, and she's had 3 at faults.....)

But seriously, I chose cellphones. THE ABSOLUTE WORST and up there with drunkeness.

treewoods

East Indians are crazy drivers

Leto

I have actually given this some thought. Hong Kong & Japanese drivers learned on the other side of the road, and when they arrive (from off the boat) they

1) immediately are qualified to drive on the right side of the road
2) have no training in adapting to our way of driving
3) are highly visible viz English/Irish white drivers who may commit similar errors, but blend in to the white-ish majority

dd3953

i feel disappointed, my choice for the worst drivers among us didn't even make your list


and survey says :: DRUNKS

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jorgelito

Perception can be deceiving. In this case, I would go where the money is. The worst drivers hands down are males age 16-25. How do I know this? Just look at insurance rates. I would have expected newly arrived female immigrants to be the worst based on "popular stereotypes" but no, it's young males, no contest.

I agree with Leto that the higher visibility of Asians make it seem like they are the worst drivers when I would also bet that everyday mishaps are spread out over a wider demographic. Interstingly enough, all the car crashes I see on tv or car chases, never involve Asians.

I live in Los Angeles, a heavy Latino and Asian population base. By my observation, it s cell phone users and Latino that are the worst drivers.

Go figure.

I would also say NASCAR drivers are also pretty bad, always going in circles at ridiculuosly fast speeds, tailgating, and flipping over occasionally. So, white males are the worst drivers then?

Ain't perception a bitch.

surferlove007

I've lived in Atlanta for 14 years prior to moving to TX. I must say, the speed limit there is 75 however if you aren't going 85 to 90 your ass will be run over.
I noticed a signifigant difference with the drivers there compared to the Metroplex ones. In the ATL it is so crammed full of people on the 8 lane highways, overall 16 lanes, that you have no choice but to yield to people and let them in on the ramps or let them over with fear of having an accident. There is a greater sense of road courtesy rather than in TX.
Upon moving to Fort Worth we were warned that red lights, stop signs, and yield signs were merely a "suggestion" instead of the law. Well, no kidding.

Texas drivers are probably some of the most aggressive/rude drivers in my opinion. I realize they most likely have not lived else where to see that the things they do would in no way be tolerated.
I've been cut off a number of times while trying to get on the ramp to get home, used my horn several times. People here flip you the bird at will, major road rage. They don't use their blinkers and tend to just come over in your lane.
Your first thought is "Umm, hello? I'm RIGHT here!" Plus the whole drunk driving issue comes to play as I've experienced that as well. Everytime I see a weeving car I slow down and let them by. Talk about an eye opener.
Fort Worth is somehow littered with the elderly, I've heard that they migrate here in the summer and leave to Florida in the winter, I would believe it. They tend to go about 15 to 20 below the legal limit on the highways and even worse on the other roads.
After saying that about the metroplex I will migrate northwest to Lubbock, TX where I attend school.
Lubbock drivers are worse than the Fort Worth ones, they don't pay attention to traffic lights (the few they have here) while they drift over into your lanes constantly. My goodness! I've tried to do the best I can to be a curtious and defensive driver, but with such conditions it is a wonder I'm still alive!

analog

I never imagined any specific race would be singled out so much. It's almost weird.

I tried to round out the list as much as possible, but no one's ever going to fit everyone into 10 lines. lol

dd3953: This is about people who can't drive for shit under normal circumstances, let alone while impaired.

jorgelito: being the demographic that gets into the most accidents doesn't prove they're the worst drivers- especially when talking about young males. The reason young males' accident rates are so high are the obvious things- racing, driving recklessly because of another car (playing chicken, shit like that), showing off to friends, etc. These displays and temporary losses of sanity while behind the wheel don't prove they're bad drivers in general- it proves they're influenced by all the testosterone in their body and they do stupid shit from time to time.

When you look at those accidents, you see things like racing, extremely high speeds (showing off in their car), ALCOHOL (which makes them moron assholes, not bad drivers), and reckless driving pretty much always having to do with multiple people in the car, or another car involved with people the person knows. That's not "bad" driving in general, that's male teenager bad judgment.

I'll go ahead and be honest, fearing certain death by firing squad- because even though it's been mentioned once in here, I have a feeling I will feel the wrath of my words to follow.

Female drivers, in general, scare the shit out of me. In general, based solely on extensive experience on the road, both local and distance highway, women on the road scare me. In general, I put them in the "worst drivers" category. I guarantee 9 times out of 10, there's a woman behind the wheel of the car that just almost merged into me, changed lanes without looking and almost hit me, cuts me off because they change lanes too quickly after passing me, etc.

I also agree with mixedmedia that they are the most rude/inconsiderate people on the road, and just about the most flippant as well. If they cut you off or almost hit you because they don't look before changing lanes, they look like they could care less when you pass them, like they don't care they just did that- OR they're giving you dirty lookes/obviously gesturing or cursing at you because... I guess you had the audacity to hit your horn when they almost drove you off the road or into oncoming traffic.

Again, this has just been my extensive and overwhelming experience on the road.

mixedmedia

I've driven in Texas and you're right. Orlando is very much the same way. There are a lot of bad drivers and there are a lot of just plain discourteous drivers.

It drives me insane. ouch, ooh, sorry

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

Gilda

In regards to what you were saying, Analog, what you've done is explain why young males are bad drivers. They're bad drivers because they choose to do those things, or have poor impulse control to the point that they lose focus when driving because of those things. That tells us why, but it doesn't mitigate the behavior.

And I'd add that any person who chooses to drink and drive is by definition a bad driver, regardless of his or her skills sober.

The statistics regarding male and female driving skill, in terms of the number of accidents, indicate that women (over 25 and under 65) are significantly more likely to be in an accident in a given number of miles driven, while men tend to be more likely to be in an accident per given time period and are more likely to be involved in a fatal accident. This difference is accounted for my men driving significantly more miles on average than women in the same time period.

When you control for experience in terms of number of miles driven in a lifetime, things even out quite a bit. The key factor within the 25 to 65 age group seems to be number of miles driven in a lifetime. This explains in part why, on average, men have fewer accidents per mile travelled than women in the same age group--men drive more miles due to a number of factors, so they tend to have more experience driving at any particular age, and the gap widens a bit as you get older.

When comparing the sexes based on experience in terms of miles driven, it comes out about even.

----------

In response to the OP, I chose teenagers, the elderly, and cell phone users. I've seen far more aggressive driving from teens, especially teen males, and a lot of incompetent driving from the elderly, but for the last few years, the near misses tend to have a very large portion of cell phone users.

I've noticed that recent Asian immigrants do tend to be terrible drivers, but not seen that with Asians in general, though my perspective may be skewed a bit by having Asian in-laws.

The worst group by far are those who try to reset their trip odometers while the car is moving.

Gilda

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Ustwo

On a related note.

I think young males are, as a rule, the more aggressive drivers causing accidents but I find young females to be worse at avoiding them.

They don't get the ticket, but they didn't get out of the way either.

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Gilda

Yep. If you take more risks, you'll be more likely to find youself in a dangerous situation, but be more able to handle it when it occurs.

Gilda

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cj2112

Old men in hats.....especially when they're driving a motor home, and even more so when said motorhome is towing a saturn.

Zeraph

From most/worst to least:

1 Teens
2 motorcyclers (apparently speed limits and signaling don't apply to them)
3 redneck types with those trucks like described above (though I don't see many where I live)
4 elderly (most just drive slow, but that doesn't make them bad drivers)
5 SUV types

and cellphones would be somewhere in there, but can really depend on the person. So I'll just say them in general. Like my dad has had a carphone, then a cellphone since like the '80s and because of his work he's talked on them all the time in the car yet he hasn't gotten in one accident because of them and in general he's only gotten into minor accidents once a decade. So for him they aren't really a distraction.

Grasshopper Green

Here in SLC, it's women on cell phones or with passengers in the front seat. Nearly all of the almost-collisions I've had here have involved a woman on a cell phone or talking to a passenger.

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clavus

I was wondering if I harbor a racist misconception, or if the stereotype was true. So I started keeping track of the drivers that have drasticly affected me whilst on the road.

Here's what I have so far:

Vehicle driving backwards (towards me) for about 200 yards. I had to stop, and throw my car in reverse while laying on my horn before they stopped: ASIAN WOMAN

Two cars at an utter standstill in traffic circle. Both drivers gesturing for the other to go, while everybody else has to slam on their breaks and wait for the insanity to pass. ASIAN MAN and another ASIAN MAN

Car backs out of parking place without looking back first. I veer out of the way and lay on the horn. ASIAN MAN

I back out of a parking place and crank the wheel to the left. Like some horrible version of MC Escher's funniest Home Videos, a car opposite me does the exact same thing. The cars have a low velocity collision. WHITE MALE (me) and BLUE EYED BLONDE WOMEN.

Conclusion: Asians are scary drivers, but the fucking caucasians will run your ass down.

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Tamerlain

I don't know why, but drivers in Victoria, British Columbia are some of the worst drivers in Canada.

I live in Ontario and go to school in Victoria, so I have driven across Canada a few times and for me, Victoria drivers take the cake. I get cut off all the time - you know the type. You see them at an intersection and you're thinking "they're not going to go, they're not going to go" you get a little closer "nope, they're not -- hey, there he goes, what a fucking idiot" and he makes his right hand turn in front of you. You slam on your brakes and when you pass him, you get a dirty look for tailgating him.

There are all kinds of other stupid driver things that happen here more often than in Ontario, but I won't list them all. Suffice to say, everything your general bad driver does seems to happen more often here. I really don't understand it. The population in Victoria doesn't have much difference in variation than Vancouver or Toronto, but the drivers are far worse.

-Tamerlain

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Montanas Heart

I have to say that sadly the elderly seem to be among the worst drivers anywhere... Their reflexes are slower, they cant see as well, they cant hear the sirens as well of the emergency vehicles, and they in a lot of cases cant even see over the steering wheels anymore!!! I hate it when I get caught behind one who cant even see the lane markers and decides that as long as they are on the road thats good enough for them. I cant tell you how many times I have been behind some old wheezer who has taken their share of the road out of the middle of two lanes.... and they wonder why people are giving them dirty looks as they whiz around them when the opportunity presents itself.
Another thing I hate is people driving and talking on a cell phone. They are definetly not paying attention to the road if they are engrossed in a phone call. In Montana if youre not paying attention to the road in the winter, that could cost you your life! It should be a national law that you cant talk and drive at the same time. There is no excuse for it... But dont get me on a soap box about this I could go on for days about bad drivers...

MSD

My mom always told me when I was little that if I saw a UPS truck I should stay 6 feet back from the road until it had passed.

Honestly, I think that 90% of people should have their licenses revoked. Too many idiots get away with too much bullshit.