Do driving styles differ greatly throughout the US? (rental, green light, sedan)

[blktoptrvl]

Seems to me the US is a melting pot of driving styles. People transfer and move from one state to another and the style MOSTLY blend together.

But I will say, the most extreme "style" I have found is in the far NW of the USA where SOME people (enough to notice a pattern) drive so casually that they IMO are dangerous. I am speaking of people who want to merge onto the highway at 45 miles an hour - and expect others to make room for them. I have seen this many times in Bellingham - the last time was as a semi-trailer was barreling down the highway and someone did this in front of him. I thought the truck was going to jack-knife.

[cebuan]

I once read a hilarious magazine article, about the protocol of waving to your neighbors when you meet them on the road in rural South Dakota. Like, if you meet the same neighbor's car a second time that day, you don't wave again, unless they have changed clothes and are wearing something different.

[tickyul]

In bigger cities, no matter what part of the country, especially during rush-hours, most drivers behave unnecessarily aggressive and like total jerks.

[RamenAddict]

Originally Posted by CGab

Chicago drivers are crazy. Never drive the speed limit! They drive at least 10-15mph over and will cut you off. We moved to NW Indiana and it's quite the opposite. Most people drive under the speed limit and it driver my DH crazy! It's as if they have nowhere to be so drive as slow as they can.

Yes, this is about accurate. You get off the interstate and are trying to merge into traffic on the main road and people will try to pass you on the shoulder. They also honk within .2 seconds of a light changing. It is like WTF? Then in Indiana the speed limit is 45 and everyone is going 35 and I want to slit my wrists...

I’m from FL and we had both in Jax... the slow lane was like the 35ers and then the other lane (the other two were always under construction with what seemed to be a permanent 45 speed limit) was always people going 80. My office had a 45mph road and people would blow past going 60, even though there were several living facilities for people who had developmental disabilities and they often walked to the restaurants/Walmart with scooters/assistive devices while the lunatics acted like it was an interstate. There were often police outside my office waiting to stop people.

[tallydude02]

I hate driving across Ohio because the left lane always piles up because either someone is not yielding the right of way, or someone is taking forever to pass. They also cut you off when they pass you and then proceed to drive slower than they speed you were already going. Once you hit West Virginia and into Pennsylvania, the left lane becomes open again.

I thought Connecticut and Massachusetts were better overall, but I definitely saw more road rage in those states.

[Marie Joseph]

Originally Posted by tallydude02

I hate driving across Ohio because the left lane always piles up because either someone is not yielding the right of way, or someone is taking forever to pass. They also cut you off when they pass you and then proceed to drive slower than they speed you were already going. Once you hit West Virginia and into Pennsylvania, the left lane becomes open again.

I thought Connecticut and Massachusetts were better overall, but I definitely saw more road rage in those states.

Completely agree on Ohio. I don't get the piling up in the left lane that goes on there, lol. It is a real thing because it happens every time that I drive through there. I will be on the interstate and getting ready to pass...except that I can't because there are cars in the left lane going SLOWER than I am in the right lane and the left lane is completely packed full of cars. West Virginia drivers are much better about this and I have not seen any major issues with left lane riders since moving here (PA).

I didn't really spend a lot of time driving in CT so it would be unfair of me to judge but had more enough of MA driving, no thank you.

IMO the best drivers are in New England or in Michigan.

[HappyRider]

Originally Posted by tallydude02

I hate driving across Ohio because the left lane always piles up because either someone is not yielding the right of way, or someone is taking forever to pass. They also cut you off when they pass you and then proceed to drive slower than they speed you were already going. Once you hit West Virginia and into Pennsylvania, the left lane becomes open again.

I thought Connecticut and Massachusetts were better overall, but I definitely saw more road rage in those states.

And then there are those who smash the throttle and pass you with fire and fury because you were "holding them up." Now, I know that moment is coming so, depending how pissed I am, as soon as they pull up, I floor it and there we go. Not expecting that, they get even more pissed.

[sean1the1]

I totally agree I think Texas excels with it's mandatory passing lane, I think California should adopt the same policy.

California drivers are very opportunistic drivers though, just like you said it doesn't matter if the light is red if you can safely make the turn you will surely do so here. In other states i've seen that people stop at yellow lights, that's not even fathomable in California.

[cebuan]

Just for fun, let's see if anybody says the drivers in there area are better than average.

[Coldjensens]

Other than Southern California and Michigan and surrounding states where I have lived for decades, I have only a few weeks of driving experience in other places. I have driven through or around in 44 states, but only a few where I spent enough time to really observe any particular driving habits. I think you need to spend at least a couple of weeks worth of driving to really get a feel for an area, but they re definitely different. It is entirely possible other people have diferent experiences, but these are my observations.


It is different all over. In Michigan, where we currently live, people drive very fast 80 - 85 is normal. tailgating is an art form practiced by about 80% of drivers. Until recently, people seemed to be more aware and in control of their vehicles, more skilled drivers than many places I have been. Not safer, just ore skilled. However between texting and too many young drivers who do not care about driving and have no interest in becoming skilled drivers, that has been backsliding in the past several years.

Cross over to Ohio and people drive more slowly. Tailgate less. Also pay even less attention to what they are doing. They have really funny signs along the freeway - maybe everyone is distracted looking for and reading the signs. Basically they follow the speed limits a lot more than many other places I have driven. It is annoying. Indiana does not seem to realize the national 55 MPH speed limit was repealed (or maybe they just do not care). It seems like everyone wants to drive 5 MPH below the posted limit, regardless of conditions. There is no reason for anyone got drive over 50 MPH or on a freeway in extreme you can drive 55 in the left lane. They are basically Granny drivers. they freeak out when the drive into michigna and everyone is passng them on both sdies.

However drive a few miles into Chicago, and you begin so see Boston Style drivers. Forget the 10/2 position. One hand ont he horn and a middle finger out the window is the way to go. Chicago drivers are slightly more polite and respectful than Boston Drivers (who recognize neither respect for others nor basic civility), but the difference from Indian is dramatic. Then venture out away from Chicago, and the rest of Illinois is simlar to Ohio, just a little bit faster.

Southern California driving means basically sitting in traffic reading your Facebook likes and comments. Very few people know how to drive at all and their answer to anything out of the ordinary is to slam on the brakes (if they happen to be moving, which is not that common). Since they never have to deal with anything other than heavy traffic, they have forgotten how to handle anything. "What?!!! A puddle?? I do not know what to do. . . Better panic stop." It seems that a few years of just sitting in their cars causes pretty much everyone to forget how to drive. I literally used to go up into the mountains or out to the desert just to keep by driving skills sharp. On the freeways, it is more common to see someone doing something else than it is to see someone paying attention to driving - many people have stands for their laptops in the passenger seat. The read the paper, or a book, put on makeup, make and eat breakfast, shave, do their hair, all kinds of things you would never think to do while driving. the problem is from time to time the traffic creates the inconvenience of moving ahead a little bit. This is just an annoying distraction form what they were doing instead of driving. Often they drive along without looking out the windshield more than once even minute or so.

Central California, all those people who sit in traffic for most of their day in those $90,000 plus speed machines get out an open them up. Yeee Haaa not traffic, lets see what my car will do. However they fail to realize that decades of sitting in traffic has left them terrible drivers with no idea how to control a car or handle adverse situations.

Northern California is somewhat different. Sort of a mix of Boston but with more emphasis on self-importance. Admittedly people pay more attention to driving than they do in the south, but they are wrapped up in getting a bit ahead of everyone else. Where in Boston, people seem to just not care about traffic rules, or any form of orderly driving, Northern Californians like to use the rules to their advantage to try to get ahead. I always thought the 55 MPH speed limit in the city limits of Detroit (on the freeway) was stupid and should be ignored. Atlanta is the opposite. slow the F*** down. Maybe it is less insane when you know the City better.

Texas varies widely from place to place. While Dallas is reasonably orderly city driving, boring but not excessively aggressive or bad, just churning your way through traffic get 20 - 30 miles north of Dallas and you are on a Nascar track. As you go south, it seems more laid back. Southwest Texas is where you find 85 MPH speed limits, but not many people in the fast lane, and, very few people exceeding 85 MPH.

Atlanta Georgia is a madhouse. It grew too fast and the road system is poorly designed and speed limits too high for the conditions (even for a Michigan boy). Anyone no familiar with the road system is going to have a hard time and end up being a traffic hazard. I have twice met people who said they got to Atlanta and panicked and just pulled over. IN one case they waited until traffic dwindled to almost nothing, in the other the gal called her brothers to come get her and take her out of the City. i have not driven inside the City all that much but the major collector roads and freeways are pure hell. It makes me think of trying to walk upstream in a flooded creek. People are not rude like many other cities, but not particularly helpful either. If you are trying to get over or slowing down to sort out the spaghetti on the road signs, you become just one more object to dodge around.