Rhode Island drivers are bad

[matt]

Boston drivers may be rude, but they are terribly efficient. :-) They'll cut you off, they'll piss you off, but damnit, they'll get there as fast as possible regardless of whats left in their wake. They are professionals.

[Frankie811]

I'll say again, from a pedestrians perspective, having lived in Boston, Portland (ME), New York City, and Providence; Providence is by far the worst place.

My 5 cents worth.

I have driven all throughout the Northeat, Atlantic states, the Mid-West and Canada and I can agree the RI drivers are the worst. However, I find NJ, Boston and Canadian drivers to drive the fastest. Canadians love to drive over the limit, but their good at it. Boston and NJ drivers are agressive. Virgina drivers have been the best that I've seen, and I think I know why. I heard that they can and will put you in jail for a traffic infraction. Actually, technically I think that they can do that anywhere. A ticket is in lew of having been arrested. When an officer stops you then in effect he has arrested you because you are not free to go. Your freedom to go about your business has been impeeded.

I think the reason why RI drivers are so bad is because we have such a large blue collar work force. I mean, let's face it, accidents, traffic infractions and insurance rates are linked to income and educational levels. Need I say more.

[Garris]

To add my $0.02, I agree with everyone here that Providence drivers are probably the worst I've seen, as far as general stupidity and not following the rules goes. But they aren't close to the most dangerous ones I've seen.

I think Boston and NJ drivers are far more hazardous to other drivers and pedestrians. They are fast, far more aggressive than Providence drivers, nearly as bad rules wise, but they add on a serious layer of attitude and horn work that adds a whole other layer of unpredictability to mix.

The drivers that follow the rules most that I've seen are Minnesota drivers, and the Mid-West in general, excepting Chicago. The overall best drivers I've seen goes to NYC drivers. Yes, they are fast and aggressive, but they are really, really good and they tend to follow the rules and not take big risks. If you expect everyone to act selfishly, there's little that's unpredicable about NYC driving.

- Garris

[Soren]

My $0.02, which is apparently worth $0.03 less than Frankie's $0.05

I lived in Boston for 14 years and have actually driven in *all 50* states. (Hah! anyone else driven in Alaska?), as well as most Canadian provinces. With major emphasis on MA, WA, RI, CA, IL, and NY.

Rhode Island drivers are not the worst, but they may be the least attentive. They may rank as the slowest too. And certainly they are high up there on the worst trained. Does anyone actually take driver's training here? It was manadatory for me growing up in Washington State. A full semester, not just a few days.

Boston easily gets my vote for worst, even though I echo other people's comments that Boston drivers are more efficient, attentive, etc. But they make up for it in sheer speed, and sometimes that just makes all the difference. I feel like there may be more fender benders in RI but more serious accidents in MA. I could be wrong though. In RI people may not think to make eye contact. In MA you avoid making eye contact, because the last one to make eye contact wins. Don't believe me? Enter any rotary in MA.

NYC is just fast-pased and impatient. Not *bad* though. Chicago specializes in people changing lanes without looking. Best major metro for driving? L.A. Hands down. Not that you should plan on getting anywhere quickly though.

[runawayjim]

i can agree with garris here. my definition of worst differs from everyone else's i guess. by worst, i mean most dangerous to others (both on and off road). that has to be jersey. MA drivers are less polite in many ways than RI drivers... think highway merges. i have seen fewer people driver around the traffic at an exit in RI to pull in at the last min than i have in MA. and then there's the lane merges which are just annoying (although the end of 37 at rt 1 north in warwick is probably the worst.

but i can agree that RI drivers follow the rules less than elsewhere, but they're not particularly fast and aggressive, which makes them safer than those in jersey and boston. i think you see more people breaking the rules in RI because many times you have to in order to actually get anywhere (blocking the box for example... it happens in one direction, if you don't do it going the other way, y ou'll get blocked and sit there for an ungodly amount of time. same goes for trying to make a left turn at a stop sign. if you don't slowly creep into traffic, you're never going to get out because the other drivers are so rude that they'll never let you out even if there's a stop light up ahead.

[Cotuit]

I feel like there may be more fender benders in RI but more serious accidents in MA.

True, you don't often here about deadly accidents in Providence, but the intersection of Harvard and Comm. Aves in Boston is among the deadliest in the state.

[Frankie811]

The overall best drivers I've seen goes to NYC drivers. Yes, they are fast and aggressive, but they are really, really good and they tend to follow the rules and not take big risks.

- Garris

You must be kidding! It's like pedestrians have a bull's-eye target on their backs.

[Cotuit]

It's like pedestrians have a bull's-eye target on their backs.

That's only the tourist. Resident pedestrians own the road in NYC.

[mr2448]

My $0.02, which is apparently worth $0.03 less than Frankie's $0.05

It was manadatory for me growing up in Washington State. A full semester, not just a few days.

Three years ago I received my first traffic violation summons. It was in the Seattle area and I was taking a left hand turn into a side street. The side street had a stop sign, and there was a vehicle there waiting for me to turn into the street. I waved to him to go before me as he was taking a left onto the road I was on. He seemed perplex by my action, but soon realised what I wanted him to do. He took the left and I entered the side street. This was something that is very commonplace in Rhode Island if not all of New England.

I did not know there was a cop two cars behind me, my actions wouldn't have changed even if I knew, he pulled me over and asked why I did not proceed in taking my left hand turn. I explained my actions and he told me that I broke the law by "impeding the flow of traffic""on the main street and this could have caused a rear end collision. My summons was only a warning and when I returned to Rhode Ilsand I found we have the same law in place. Who knew?

As to New York City drivers, I love their aggressiveness. You can always count on it. When they pull out in front of you, you can count on them pulling away from you rather then slowing down like so many Rhode Islanders do!

Mark

PS: Rhode Island drivers; one more reason to take mass transit!

[dgreco]

I think a reason RI drivers are bad are the lackadaisical approach to things, because I can admit I am a aggressive driver and I guess not a good one, but I got 3 speeding tickets in Novemember alone, and 6 for the year of 2005, I am also in the under 25 threshold. Nothing has been done, and I have friends in MA, NY, VT, ME all over the northeast and they all say you get 2 in a year, or even 3 you lose your license, and they use a point system too.

I have not even been warned and up until this point I have went to court for everyone hoping I can get some or any expunged and the judges have not said a thing. So I think that is a huge reason for the problem, if we don't actually get in trouble besides insurance increases or tickets it really won't affect anyone. See a 35 year old working man or woman lose there license for a year and watch how much different they will drive.

[Soren]

So, not an hour after posting on this thread yesterday there was a rollover accident at the end of my block. Now, this is not on an artery, but on a sleepy side street crossing on the east side. A jeep ran a stop sign and tried to dart around the front end of an oncoming audi wagon. The jeep tipped over and the audi ran into the exposed underside.

Luckily no one was hurt. But what a stupid thing.

I may have to re-vote.

[f1rehead]

To add my $0.02, I agree with everyone here that Providence drivers are probably the worst I've seen, as far as general stupidity and not following the rules goes. But they aren't close to the most dangerous ones I've seen.

That is definitely true.

IIHS Fatality Facts 2004: State by state

The states (and DC) that did the worst on the road knowledge test have the lowest number of traffic fatalities per 100,000 population.

Go figure.

[Recchia]

That is definitely true.

IIHS Fatality Facts 2004: State by state

The states (and DC) that did the worst on the road knowledge test have the lowest number of traffic fatalities per 100,000 population.

Go figure.

wow that sure is an interesting fact. Doesn't RI have the highest number or rate of drunk driving deaths though?

[matt]

While biking into work this morning, a car passed me on a side street, and a gentleman in the passenger seat yelled "get out of the road!" Then, when I was about to come up on his right, he opened the passenger door. WTF??

[brick]

While biking into work this morning, a car passed me on a side street, and a gentleman in the passenger seat yelled "get out of the road!" Then, when I was about to come up on his right, he opened the passenger door. WTF??

I have a really nasty streak that wants idiots like this to pull this with me so I can unleash some furious anger in their direction. Where was this? Were you following the rules of the road?

I saw a totally awesome video of a guy who thought it would be wicked funny to open his door as his car (he was in the backseat) was passing a kid on a bmx. He didn't account for the car parked on the street which hit the door first and basically crushed him (the car was going about 30 mph). Now, I don't normally wish pain suffering, etc., on people. But, if you are the type of person who thinks it's funny to smash some 10 year old kid on a bmx with your car door moving 30 mph, well, you get what's coming to you, you stupid #$#@. I can only hope something else atrocious happened to the other guy in the backseat who thought smashing the bmx kid would be funny enough to record.

[matt]

Where was this? Were you following the rules of the road?

So, I called the police when I got to work. The officer told me there isn't much he can do since he didn't witness the incident and nothing physically happened to me. He advised that I don't fill out a report because then it is in the public record along with my name and addresss.

[JJK5]

I don't know if this is an uniquely RI thing or not, but i've never noticed it as often as I do here. People float all over their lane on I-95. All the time on my commute back and forth from Providence to Warwick, people are squeezing me between the jersey barriers and their car which is riding directly on the white dotted line. Then they'll float over to the other side, squeezing the person on that side. Are the lanes thinner here, or is this just some weird RI anomaly?

[Garris]

People float all over their lane on I-95.

I don't think this is particularly worse here... I actually think this is much, much worse on 93 in the Boston Metro and on some NY Metro area highways as well. I actually think drivers on 95 do pretty well here in comparison to some other high volume highways I've seen.

- Garris

[Cotuit]

People float all over their lane on I-95. All the time on my commute back and forth from Providence to Warwick

I think after driving through all the reverse curves in Pawtucket they can't stop swerving before they reach Warwick.

[Jerseyman4]

When I first got my driving license in the mid 80s there was a driving etiquette. People flashed high beams to indicate a speed trap or to tell you to move over, and we did. We also picked up hitchhikers, but I digress. None of this functions today.

There would be far fewer accidents, and less crowded highways, if the DOT sponsored a "Drive Right" campaign. If people didnt float along in the left lane at 60 there would be room to move and the highway would be less congested.

Left lane pigs are the principle progenitors of highway chaos. We spend millions on drunk driving ads but still have high accident rates. Its wasted cash. Get people to Drive Right and there would be more order and fewer crashes.

Raising driving etiquette is a key to increasing the quality of life in RI. Etiquette, not laws, is the way. Establish social norms of individual courtesy and maintain them.

Sentimental with what Lova said over a year ago

I have not driven in RI enough times but im mainly on I-95 or I-295 and i dont have a problem with the RI drivers. The only real time i drove in RI was between Providence and Newport about 3 yaers ago and again, i did not notice anything unusual or bad but that was one time. I then took the Jamestown bridge and traveled US 1 southbound all the way to Clinton, CT. Maybe ive been lucky or ive built up extreme tolerances with the f'ing NJ motorists.

[JJK5]

I think after driving through all the reverse curves in Pawtucket they can't stop swerving before they reach Warwick.

Dizziness would certainly explain it.

[runawayjim]

I don't know if this is an uniquely RI thing or not, but i've never noticed it as often as I do here. People float all over their lane on I-95. All the time on my commute back and forth from Providence to Warwick, people are squeezing me between the jersey barriers and their car which is riding directly on the white dotted line. Then they'll float over to the other side, squeezing the person on that side. Are the lanes thinner here, or is this just some weird RI anomaly?

this is worse in other places that i've been... specifically CT. and more specifically, fairfield county. for some reason, people who think they need SUV's but aren't used to driving big cars weave back adn forth in their land (many times driving on the lines). speakingof CT... i was driving back from philly... and i have to say, the worst driving i saw on the entire trip from philly to providence was in CT. i think people in fairfield county have this sense of entitlement. that and the punk kids in their riced up hondas doing 85 in dense traffic (granted it was moving at normal speeds, but there was a lot of cars) weaving in and out of the cars.

in another "weaving/swerving" story... i saw a car nearly get crushed on 95 yesterday while driving home from CT. it was just before the rest area by exit 3. the truck apparently didn't look to see if anyone was in the left land and just switched lanes. unfortunately, there was no "how is my driving" phone number on the back. the car passing him wasn't particularly small either, it was one of those old 70's-80's station wagons... the ones the size of a small yacht.

[basachs]

Having lived in RI for 9 months, I can offer the following observation:

RI drivers slow up the left lane on the highway more than annywhere else I have driven. I dont mind slow drivers, but on the highway get the hell out of the left lane. Drive slow in the right lane if you want to, not the left.

I commute to MA for work and once I cross into MA, it is always the RI drivers that are backing up the left lane. Annoys the hell out of me.

[Garris]

i think people in fairfield county have this sense of entitlement. that and the punk kids...

Yup, this is absolutely an affluent NY/CT/NJ metro phenomenon. Very bad (worse, actually) in lower Westchester County (Rye, Mamaroneck, Bronxville, etc) than in CT, and it really doesn't exist here in the same way. The blatant ignoring of rules, inconsiderate drivers, no turn signals, etc not out of ignorance, but out of the fact that they're important people in their Infiniti or Lincoln and just don't have to do these things. They often know better, but feel that they have priorities that supercede everyone else's interests. That, "I'm in my Lexus RX440 and can take up half a whole side-road loading tulips into my car parked in the right lane rather than in the flower shop's parking lot because it's more convenient for me this way, f*** you..." attitude... Yup, know it well. I grew up with it...

That, and the punk suburban kids zipping through traffic at light speed phenomenon is much, much worse in the NY metro than here.

- Garris

[runawayjim]

Yup, this is absolutely an affluent NY/CT/NJ metro phenomenon. Very bad (worse, actually) in lower Westchester County (Rye, Mamaroneck, Bronxville, etc) than in CT, and it really doesn't exist here in the same way. The blatant ignoring of rules, inconsiderate drivers, no turn signals, etc not out of ignorance, but out of the fact that they're important people in their Infiniti or Lincoln and just don't have to do these things. They often know better, but feel that they have priorities that supercede everyone else's interests. That, "I'm in my Lexus RX440 and can take up half a whole side-road loading tulips into my car parked in the right lane rather than in the flower shop's parking lot because it's more convenient for me this way, f*** you..." attitude... Yup, know it well. I grew up with it...

That, and the punk suburban kids zipping through traffic at light speed phenomenon is much, much worse in the NY metro than here.

- Garris

these are my exact reasons for saying that RI drivers aren't really all that bad when you start to look at other places. i grew up in suburban CT (new haven area, not fairfield county) and as i got older and there were more and more cars on the road, it was just awful. but to be honest, i didn't notice much of this problem on the highways in jersey or NY until i crossed the CT state line. i have to say, i have never hated an area as much as i hate fairfield county in CT. between the drivers with attitudes and the snobby people with attitudes...

the left hand slow driver thing is a RI thing though. i have yet to see that elsewhere, unless it's an elderly driver who probably shouldn't be driving anymore (like the one driving the RV that literally ran me off the road even as i was laying on my horn... although that was in CT). part of the problem is the left exits in RI for rt 4 and 295 (although i think the poor highway design on 95 south by rt 4 is part of the problem).

the biggest problem i see in RI is cell phones. NJ, NY, and now CT all have cell phone bans while driving, unless using a hands-free set. RI needs the desperately, not some crappy law that bans cell phones for kids under 18. the cops aren't going to pull people over for using their cell phones just to check their age. this law only makes punishment worse for kids who are caught speeding and chatting. they need an across the board ban on the use like the other states with this ban.