NYC drivers named America’s most aggressive
 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31380857/ns/us_news-life?GT1=43001

and 'Road Rage gets a medical diagnosis'

‘Intermittent explosive disorder’ affects millions in the U.S., survey finds

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13152708/

I think they're worse in NJ, especially trying to get to the tolls for the bridges and tunnels to NYC. Once in NYC, people are highly assertive, but will usually be courteous if approached with courtesy, for example if you use hand signals to show you want to get over a lane people will let you in. Not so much in NJ.

NYC drivers agressive? Really??

maybe you should stay in NY next time ? :P

I dont drive in NYC nothing beats the NY transit ;)

Road Rage, Office Rage, all kinds of rage going on. I guess rages are all the rage now. I can't wait till they use it in court to justify why someone did something naughty and should be given a pass and counseling.

The few times I have driven in NYC, I liked the drivers there. They were all paying attention and understood that everyone had somewhere they needed to go. Traffic was heavy but they all worked to keep it moving. Two examples I observed:
1. Street is five lanes wide. One on each side for parking and three for driving. Fellow in left curb parking space wants to pull into traffic. Traffic is solid flow. He puts on turn signal and a few cars back, a space about 1.5 cars long magically opens. He dives into space. A few cars later someone else signals and dives into the now open parking space. Traffic keeps moving the whole time.
2. Same street several blocks later. UPS truck stops to make a delivery. He of course double parks in left side traffic lane. He gets as close to parked cars as he can. Drivers in right and center traffic lane see what is happening and immediately squeeze over as far right as they can, making room for traffic in left driving lane to continue around UPS truck. Three lanes of traffic flow are maintained and everybody keeps moving.
These things are all due to EVERYBODY paying attention and making the effort to keep traffic moving at full flow. In Cincinnati, traffic would be backed up for blocks behind the UPS truck and the guy wanting out of the parking space may well have to wait until evening.

I was in Boston several years ago and they are tough but good drivers, too.

In one case, three lanes of traffic in each direction with parallel parking on both sides. Guy pulls out of a parking space on one side and does a U-turn through 6 lanes of heavy traffic. Horns blow. Fingers fly. But I bet everyone was privately impressed by his performance.

Road rage _is_ a criminal offense in some states.

I have to give credit to NYC area drivers...even if they don't know that the signal exist they do know how to smoothly drive in heavy traffic. Theres very little gas and brake slamming, everyone just knows how to predict well and pretty much only use the gas pedal...as it should be.


With that being said the worst case of road rage i've ever seen was in Queens. I was taking a right hand turn at a stop sign but the traffic was moving too fast to pull out and because of parked cars it was hard to see very far back so I just waited for 40 seconds or so for an opening. (There was a signal to the right of me that had just turned red) Well i'm about to pull out but apparantly i'm taking too long to do it or something.....the guy who had just pulled up behind me jumps the curb drives on the sidewalk, between two parking meters and right out into traffic...all while flipping me off of course.


The best part is that about 3 seconds after this I very calmly and safely pulled out...and stoppe dright behind him:rolleyes:

I've always felt that some of the road rage incidents are due to the fact that drivers can do it with a certain degree of anonymity. they can cut off other drivers in traffic and not have to face their victims. I doubt these same people would cut in front of you in the check out line at the local grocery store because they don't have the kahunas to do it. they get to be 'jerk of the day' behind the wheel of a car because they don't have to face their victims face to face.

and, notice the number one issue as the cause of road rage, TALKING ON THE CELL PHONE. wonder how much additional WE ALL PAY on our insurance due to accidents caused by cell phone yakkers. more than a few nickels, I'm sure.

I agree. NJ people are wannabe New Yorkers, and feel they are obligated to be rude and assertive to fit in. The times I drove there, theres a sense of everything working as long as you know where you are supposed to be. Usually its the NJ guys laying on the horn. :)

X2. The cabbies and truckdrivers are guys there in NYC to do their jobs. If you drive professionally (by that I mean aware and not emotionally), you'll do fine. But you have to stay on your toes (which I imagine is true in every major city).

By and large, it's the pedestrians who create the problems.

NYC is peaches compared to DC. I have never seen drivers as BAD as Maryland, Nova, and the District. In NY or NJ if you want to pass, you flick your high beams at the car in front of you. The car then gets over to the right letting you pass. On the beltway if you try this the A**hole in front of you immediately slams on his brakes then paces the guy in the right lane. This leads to amazing traffic jams around DC. Factor in all the Congressional staffers who think their poop is made of rose petals and you have all the ingredients for a disaster - and you get one every rush hour.

Inside DC it is even worse with all traffic signals being optional:eek: Add in the amount of construction plus the streets that are blocked off for security concerns and you have a nightmare!

In NY everybody works together. Of course that could just be survival of the fittest :D

Well the article did mention that DC drivers are more likely to ram you then anyone else.....

Wouldn't surprise me if you have better chances of getting shot at in DC either.....

Not to mention foreigners with diplomatic immunity. The difference between the two locations is design. The NY area has a grid network of roads. The DC area has feeder roads that end in cul-de-sacs. Grids are much better for handling big loads of traffic.