Utah drivers lead the nation in terribleness (2013, insurance)

[kletter1mann]

Somebody's bound to post it, so it might as well be me.


https://www.forbes.com/advisor/car-i...ional-drivers/


We all know it's true. Yet Utah is famously "friendly," at least from standpoint of interacting with the smiling, fresh-scrubbed restaurant cashier (until you ask them to actually solve a problem). But why is it so? The passive-aggressive culture thing? It would be interesting to hear thoughtful and serious explanations.

[irman]

I can easily "cope" with other drivers in Utah, on the freeways or on city streets.
I try to drive as much as I can to the exact speed limit posted on the streets and use my cruise control to maintain that speed. If you do the math, wherever I go, I may "lose" just a few minutes when I drive the posted limit instead of ten miles higher than posted...
I also try to drive as much as I can on the right-hand side of the road, unless I need to go left soon... When I do drive on the left side, I try to keep up with most traffic to a point and keep my distance of one (1) car for every ten miles of speed. When I get "tailgated where I can not see the headlights of the person behind me", I slightly tap my brake pedal without applying my brakes, just as a reminder... It often works, but not all the time.

I am actually looking for a neat change to my brake lights on the Honda. I have an LED strip stoplight on my trunk which is built in that fake spoiler thingy... I wish I could make that brake light go left and right in a special mode to warn people, similar to the red lights on those space movies... Help, please??

On a side note... (I use either my walker or my electric wheelchair depending on where I have to go)
I have both my walker and my electric wheelchair "in" my Honda Accord (the walker fits on the back seat, and the electric wheelchair fits in the trunk) and I always find that when I am trying to get those things back in the car, there are always people around me asking me if I need help. I built a doohickey, where I fold up the electric wheelchair and then the doohickey helps me to it in the trunk... People always hang around (!!) and watch me do that and then are amazed at what I have built...
The walker is under 15 pounds and my wheelchair weighs 40 pounds (after I remove the 2 batteries which weigh almost 10 pounds) and both "chairs" fold up to suitcase size.

Speaking of kind thoughtful people...
Why do I see people park in handicapped places and then walk out like regular healthy people...
Why do people who use the store-provided electric shopping carts and never plug them back in to get a fully charged unit for the next poor soul?

Repeat after me... Oh well ...

[moguldreamer]

I'll just try to stay in the slow lane, drive the speed limit or under (that is, slower than most everyone else), think about the coefficient of friction of tire rubber on asphalt & concrete, think about the small number of square inches that tires are actually in contract with the pavement, the panic stopping distance in ideal circumstances, and the distance between my car and the vehicle in front of me and behind me.

[SkyLark2019]

My experience with Utah drivers was pretty placid (went there on a couple of business trips.)

Just saying.

[UniversalTraveler]

I lived there for over 24 years. Back when I-15 was a smaller interstate, prior to the revisions done for the Olympus back in the early 2000's the drivers were one heck of a lot easier to work with. Since the boom which began in the 80's the traffic got progressively worse. They go to where they all wanted to drive faster then the limits most often. And sadly, their skills sorely lacked which only compounded the accident risks. Ever been in front of a typical minivan driver with 6 kids in the back commanding their mother's attention? It's scary let me tell ya. All you have to do sometime is tune into the nighttime news after even a minor snow moves through, and witness over 200 accidents that will have occurred. It's virtually every time that happens. What do you think that indicates? Skilled drivers? Not on your life. So bottom line is driving in the Salt Lake metro (and especially I-15 and I-215) is a real shoot of the dice in regard to one's safety. I'd love to say otherwise but just look at the statistics which are available, and they tell it all. The current typical Utah driver is NOT a good one to be around.

[markg91359]

Originally Posted by kletter1mann

Somebody's bound to post it, so it might as well be me.


https://www.forbes.com/advisor/car-i...ional-drivers/


We all know it's true. Yet Utah is famously "friendly," at least from standpoint of interacting with the smiling, fresh-scrubbed restaurant cashier (until you ask them to actually solve a problem). But why is it so? The passive-aggressive culture thing? It would be interesting to hear thoughtful and serious explanations.

Sorry I saw this almost a year after it was posted. Yes, though, passive aggressive behavior is very common in the Beehive State. I think it has to do with religious dictates to avoid confrontation and conflict. On the roads, Utahns become very aggressive. The most common characteristic I see is a determination to speed up and pass vehicles that are ahead of them. They will do this even if they intend to pull off the road or take the next exit. Often, the worst drivers drive the oldest cars and have the least insurance. I can make that statement because my occupation makes me acutely aware of such things. It's a problem that is unlikely to change much.

[SWFL_Native]

I have to agree now with the premise of this thread. I started a new job about 6 months ago and now travel to Utah county via i15 over point of the mountain. The traffic congestion and number of accidents are insane relative to most other community routes I’ve had. We haven’t even hit winter yet and the interstate is like bumper cars. It’s not even an issue around speed just stupid choice not paying attention and lack of signaling.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by SWFL_Native

I have to agree now with the premise of this thread. I started a new job about 6 months ago and now travel to Utah county via i15 over point of the mountain. The traffic congestion and number of accidents are insane relative to most other community routes I’ve had. We haven’t even hit winter yet and the interstate is like bumper cars. It’s not even an issue around speed just stupid choice not paying attention and lack of signaling.

Yes, exactly. Nowhere else have I ever seen cars totaled in parking lots. Saw it several times in UT. And then there's the eye contact avoidance thing. We've all seen it, the eyes forward, if-I-can't-see-you-then-you-don't-exist thing when trying to merge. Even in the hated NY area (to which I've since returned) people let you merge. Maybe it's a side effect of the lake dust?

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, Utah isn't even on the list you posted a link to, and by the looks of the colors on the map, it scores relatively low. Your link doesn't seem to have anything to do with your topic, unless I missed something.

I've only done rural driving in UT, and haven't experienced or observed any issues. The article/ratings lost credibility with me, though, when it said that NM was among the states with the most polite drivers. If you were to post that on the NM forum here, it would cause quite a commotion. Unless we only focus on Covid-era and post-Covid driving. I notice there's a lot less traffic and the behaviors have changed (for the better), because drivers are less stressed. No crowding = less stress, more relaxed drivers. Albuquerque may be a different story, though, I don't know.

But, back to Utah, has anyone observed any differences between pre-Covid and post-Covid driving?

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by kletter1mann

Yes, exactly. Nowhere else have I ever seen cars totaled in parking lots. Saw it several times in UT. And then there's the eye contact avoidance thing. We've all seen it, the eyes forward, if-I-can't-see-you-then-you-don't-exist thing when trying to merge. Even in the hated NY area (to which I've since returned) people let you merge. Maybe it's a side effect of the lake dust?

You say they're the worst and then link to something showing middle of the road behavior with regards to aggression.

Then you start talking about bad driving.

In short, you've provided nothing to support your claim.

There are plenty of online resources showing rates of accident etc. by state if you want to have an actual discussion based upon facts.

I'd recommend digging up accidents per 100k miles that would be decent although not perfect.