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Connecticut's only "old" because young people are leaving which brings up the median age. Retirees are moving out of CT and moving to a warmer climate state like Floida. I'm old but not THAT old. There aren't too many 65+ people in CT as there used to be.
That may add to it, but over all Utah drivers are impatient and crazy and speed, but not in the good way of speeding, they like to tail gate. My theory (after living many years in SLC) is that they take their lifestyle frustrations out behind the wheel.
Well, compared to Idaho, yes Utah drivers can seem impatient. But compared to Florida, no contest. Compared to most bigger states, no contest. Utah drivers do like speed, as I mentioned before, but they are seldom rude. As to your theory of their lifestyle, wow that is out there. Considering that SLC, the biggest city in the region, is not even a lifestyle majority, if I am understanding your argument.
I've never driven in Utah, but I can't imagine road rage could be any worse there than in Florida. Driving in Florida is a truly frightening experience.
In my experience, motorists in Florida are, perhaps, the angriest and most maniacal in the entire developed world, let alone the United States, hence the reason why Florida has the highest pedestrian and cyclist fatality rates, respectively, of any state in the nation.
Motorist fatality rates in Florida are also above average and significantly higher than in Utah (12.98 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents in FL vs. 8.50 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents in UT).
Someone mentioned up-thread that people in Florida are the quickest to honk their horns in traffic, statistically speaking. I've never heard that before, but as someone who lived in Florida for a couple of years in the recent past and has traveled the state extensively, I certainly believe it.
I have a few different theories as to why motorists are so aggressive and, in turn, dangerous in Florida relative to other states:
-Many transplants from the Northeast US, where driving habits tend to be more aggressive and, IMO, reckless relative to other regions of the country
-Quite a few NYC area transplants, who probably never drove much throughout their lives, so their driving skill levels as middle-aged and older adults are generally poor
-Lots and lots of immigrants from Third World countries, where motorists are downright suicidal relative to those in North America
-A high senior citizen population, which includes a large contingent of people who probably shouldn't be operating a vehicle
-Hordes of tourists and seasonal residents who are unfamiliar with the roadways
-Broad, high-speed arterial thoroughfares that can accommodate very high speeds (if the speed limit is 45 mph, but the roadway can accommodate 60-65, then that's the speed at which the majority of motorists will drive)
-An overall culture of anger and hostility, plus "six degrees of separation" (Florida is a very transient state)
The extreme road rage and reckless driving habits of Florida correlated with some of the highest auto insurance premiums in the entire nation. FWIW, there are auto insurance companies that no longer write policies for residents of Miami-Dade County because the liability risk is too great.
Well, compared to Idaho, yes Utah drivers can seem impatient. But compared to Florida, no contest. Compared to most bigger states, no contest. Utah drivers do like speed, as I mentioned before, but they are seldom rude. As to your theory of their lifestyle, wow that is out there. Considering that SLC, the biggest city in the region, is not even a lifestyle majority, if I am understanding your argument.
I guess you missed the part of my post where I said I lived there for many years...nearly 6 and in SLC.
Have you ever lived there?
In Florida you have tourists who don't know where there going, old people that drive so slow because they don't know where there at , and foreign people that can't read the signs. When you add it all together you get road rage.
For the most part, the way people drive in FL is an aftereffect of how 'Americans' drive in general (most are out of state, non-Floridians). So when people point fingers at FL drivers, they point fingers at other Americans. So we can conclude that many Americans in general, (not all), are bad drivers.
Personally I experienced more road rage/impatient drivers living and driving in NYC, MA, PNW(outside Seattle) than in FL, but it could be a fluke.
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....Florida is pretty much proportionate with a third of the states in terms of age. So much for that stereotype...
