TODAY'S Talker: Are you driving beside the...

A recent survey by AutoVantage ranked the worst drivers behind the wheel and apparently good weather doesn't make for good drivers. The city of Miami ranked number one followed by New York then Boston.

And the question for you? Do you agree with the survey results? What is the worst road rage incident that you have witnessed? How do you respond when someone is raging at you? And any tips on keeping things cool when someone cuts you off. Share your thoughts and reactions.

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.

Comments: 15

J. B. May 15, 2007, 12:30pm EDT

Minneapolis-St. Paul is all the way down at 14? I'm shocked. I would have pegged us as much, much higher on the list.

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Randy- Being true to myself May 15, 2007, 12:40pm EDT

Interesting...I would probably be clasified as an impatient driver but the whole road rage-no

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Ms. Meacham: Money Maven May 15, 2007, 2:57pm EDT

At least Portland falls below Seattle. After driving in both cities, Seattle definately outranks its southern neighbor. As to warm weather's impact on "worst drivers," to me it makes complete sense that good weather doesn't make for good drivers. On warm weather days the image that's portrayed by movies is all about feeling the breeze, zipping along in your sports car.

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Sonia M. May 15, 2007, 3:45pm EDT

I have lived in Miami in the past - 10 years - and visited it many times before living there and since.....Even though I have seen atrocious driving, I have not encountered or witnessed any instances of road rage....yet kept reading about them in the papers the whole time I lived there!

I now live near Hilo in Hawaii and I can definitely see where traffic in Hilo is definitely more congested since I moved here, and I have seen some rude drivers, but as a whole, the majority of drivers here are very courteous.... and so far no incidents of road rage.....that I know of.

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Bill's Spirit May 15, 2007, 3:52pm EDT

My local metropolitan area didn't make the list. I guess that's a good thing.

I can be an impatient driver on occasion. I cuss and swear when people cut me off or ride my car's rear too close for my comfort. I'll confess that being almost run-off the road has caused me to ponder a physically passionate reponse on a time or two. But when a drunk ran a stop sign and a group of us broadsided him, my concerns for everyone were at the forefront; not any desire for retribution or revenge. No one was seriously hurt, even though both cars were totaled.

Best driving tip I ever learned; Watch out for the other folks.

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Susan *. May 15, 2007, 3:52pm EDT

uh, I-80 goes right through my city and I swear the rudest drivers on it are those who Will NOT let you merge when you are trying to get onto the interstate from the mall. I have lived here for over 20 years and I NEVER use the interstate unless absolutely necessary....it's far too dangerous and there are plenty of nice back streets you can use to get somewhere with a lot less anger and stress from other drivers!

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Sallie M. May 15, 2007, 4:13pm EDT

I am surprised that Tampa is not number 1...some of the rudest people not only behind the wheel but just in general.

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donna f. May 15, 2007, 5:20pm EDT

We didn't make the list either, but I work in an affluent subereb and my biggest gripe is with "soccer Moms" in huge SUV's with a cell phone plastered to their heads, paying no attention to other drivers. I am a total pacifist, but some of these broads make me want to pull them out andput that phone where the sun don't shine!

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George Corneliussen May 15, 2007, 6:28pm EDT

Let's face it, America is stressed out and anything that gets in the way tends to become the enemy. "Road Rage" has a very close cousin these days, it's called "Moving Morons". There are way too many people who don't know how to drive trying to drive faster to make up for the time they lost before they got in their car/suv/pickup truck.
Don't blame the cops, the average driver around here drives at least 20 MPH over the speed limit on any road they are on ( including subdivision streets ). The cops would have to pull over 9 out of 10 cars, and that ain't gonna happen.
As for actual Road Rage:
Just last week, a case went to court where a girl was left crippled because another girl pulled in front of her on the Interstate and jammed on her brakes (on purpose) forcing the girl to slam into her rear end at highway speeds.

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Kathryn E. May 16, 2007, 1:05am EDT

Don't know about Miami, but I think Boston is much worse than Manhattan, Bronx, Yonkers, Queens.

Boston, Cambridge, Waltham, are definitely not for the faint of heart. Especially anywhere in Boston, proper.

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