I've been telling everyone I know for the last two years that I thought the worst drivers in the world live in North Texas. I got an in-your-face example Saturday afternoon. I'm driving on a residential street in Frisco, and this guy in a twelve year-old Lexus SUV is coming my way. There is a parked SUV in front of me. There is nothing impeding him. His lane is wide open. As I start to come around the parked car, the Lexus veers into my lane. I try to duck back in behind the SUV, the Lexus driver suddenly wakes-up and tries to steer back into his lane. He doesn't make it. He takes out my outside rearview mirror, slamming it into my side window, rakes along the side of my car, knocks my rear tire off, and bounces back into his own lane, air bags blown, and comes to a stop. I get out of my car, hand bleeding, and meet him about halfway between the cars. I've already called him every dirty word in the book. The first thing I ask him was, "what in the Hell were you doing in my lane". His answer, after apologizing, was, "my left shirt sleeve was unbuttoned, I was trying to button it, and didn't see you. He also had a Bluetooth device in his ear. My guess is that in addition to finishing getting dressed while he was driving, he was talking on the phone. He then apologized again for the "inconvenience". Both cars had to be towed.

I've driven in South America, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, and no one is as ignorant of driving laws, use of turn signals, knowledge of common driving courtesy, speed limits, or personal self-awareness than the a-holes in North Texas. They drive like they are in bumper-cars at a carnival, and expect the other drivers to take action when necessary to save them from themselves.

The a-hole's insurance is Safeco Insurance Agency and they recommended that I move my vehicle from the tow company's yard to temporary storage since it would take them some time to assign liability for the accident and the costs would be mounting. They also indicated they couldn't provide my a rental car until they assign liability for the accident, which could take some time.

I assume you called the police and had a report done--these insurance companies will do just about anything to avoid paying a claim.

I have USAA and in addition to my monthly retirement check, that's about the best benefit I got out of 20+ years in the Army.

But as to your contention that the worst drivers are in North Texas (I was born and raised in Dallas), I'd challenge you to maintain that position if you came out here to Atlanta and drove for any appreciable length of time--say, a week.

You probably read about or saw on TV the debacle that happened several weeks ago when we had a major ice storm. All the Interstates: I-20, I-285 (the loop around Atlanta), I-75 and I-85--ground to a standstill and were totally clogged with disabled vehicles--some folk spent 18 hours sitting in their vehicles.

Tractor trailers drivers--once the safest drivers on the road--routinely cause major accidents in/around Atlanta--a jackknifed 18-wheeler a day is about average. This past weekend one was involved in a fatality accident.

I would estimate about 30-40% of the drivers on Atlanta roads are uninsured.

My wife has to drive the Interstates for over an hour each way to work. She's already been rear-ended twice; fortunately, without injury. I had to threaten to sue one of the vehicle owners to get him to pay for his uninsured daughter's damage to my wife's car.

Anything out of the ordinary--or for that matter, things that ARE ordinary--totally confuses Atlanta drivers. Bright early morning sun? Traffic slows to a crawl. Bright evening setting sun during rush hour? Same story. Snow or ice? See above, but that's just one example--the worst, to be sure, but Atlanta has been totally shut down by winter weather many times.

And don't even get me started on rain. I swear, if a big dog wandered out on I-285 and took a whiz, traffic would be skidding all over the road.

As to rush hour--well, it's pretty much rush hour all day, given the fact that our roads are outdated by 20 years by the time they're built. But morning and evening rush hours are just unimaginable. I think a national poll once found the Atlanta rush hour commute to be in the top five worst in the nation.

And on weekends, GDOT closes lanes on Interstates to do construction, so often times weekend travel is as bad or worse than weekdays.

I haven't driven in Dallas regularly in years, and only for a day or two back in 2011 when we were there for a visit, but even driving on North Central Expressway was a dream compared to any major highway in Atlanta.

I hope your vehicle gets repaired and you don't have any future incidents--I'd say your chances of not getting hit again are a lot better where you are than anywhere in/around Atlanta.

Why am I even here?

Well, I kind of agree with both of you.

I just passed thru Atlanta traffic a couple of weeks back and I think I would choose the gates of Hell before I'd go back. 90 mph and bumper to bumper, fall back a few feet to give a bit more room if something happens and somebody would pull in front of you, making it worse than before. 30 mi out of town, had a 5 or 6 car "fender bender", that is appeared to be no fatalities, but traffic backed up for miles as we wove through the wreckage of the cars scattered over about a 1/4 mile, no cops there yet.

AFA Dallas goes, I've been lucky so far, but that doesn't mean I think they are better drivers. You can only bet the pass line so long before craps come up. The construction on the NW side of 635 would drive a grown man to drink. If it didn't he'd need one when he got home.

Hell, even out in the hinterlands, a friend of my daughters was driving to school the other day, behind a car going about 40, guy comes up behind them going 60 to 70 and rear ends her, causing her to hit car in front of her. Clear and dry......I mean, really....????

Making me glad I live in NJ. Not!

Yes,I have USAA as well. Good company all around. This past week here in Austin due to SXSW,was a mad house. Too many accidents to record. To the point however is that here in Central Texas we have average drivers who are used to "the way we drive" in this locale. Every town does.They don't drive the same in Dallas or New Jersey. (sorry to use that in the same sentence).Just a minor point here;in Austin,everyone runs a yellow;in Dallas,everyone stops on yellow. There is more to it than that but I think you see my point.As an addendum a good friend told me years ago about the TRUTH of men + women. Every woman believes that she will change the man she marries;Every man believes that he is an above average driver.

Bush Alaska drivers.

Steer all the way to the right hand shoulder of the road to make a left turn. 35 mph in a 45 zone. "Turn signals? Signal to who? You know who's driving in front of you and know where I'm going, why do you need a reminder?" "Hey look at the flock of geese crossing the road!" as they drive 3/4ers of the way off the road.

The best is when you take the rural AK drivers and put 'em behind the wheel in the big city. Outta be illegal.

I have a few rules of the road for myself.
Number 1 is if there is a woman driving and I'm walking across the parking lot I put another suto betweem me and her. The ladies have no idea what is going on around them as they drive off the lot.
Number 2 is if I determine that a woam is driving in front of me I move around her to get in front. I don'r have to worry about her riding her brakes, deciding that she needs to turn ten feet before the intersection, or she feels the need to continue the conversation on her cell phone prior to moving after the light changes.
Number 3 is I try not to be a passinger with a woamn driving they scare the hell out of me.
I'm totally paranoid while trying to back out and leave a parking lot. The ladies, talking on a cell phone have exchanged paint several time, They just wandered into my lane.
Some how being told 'I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!' just doesn't make it all better.

Jim

Safeco called me back and said they accept 100% liability for their moron, and got me a rental SUV until they figure out what to do with my Edge.

One of the latest driving quirks I hate is when you are backing out of a parking spot in a lot, and someone tries to "race the train" to get past behind you before you "block" them.

Years ago my favorite were the Navajos in the four-corners area. They would drive 80 mph on the reservation dirt roads (All their windshields were cracked from flying rocks.) then slow to 40 when they got on pavement. They seemed to mistake asphalt for ice.

I liked driving in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Everyone knew the laws, and didn't follow them. You couldn't stop at red lights at night. You would get carjacked or kidnapped. RED meant SLOW Down. YELLOW didn't have a meaning. Speed limits were suggestions. There was a rhythm to it. Caracas was more like India. Push forward until total gridlock, then get out and yell at someone.

Soccer moms wear me out here in North Texas. The believe they are the only people on the road. Wait a few minutes and they will do something stupid. Last week one sat in the left turn lane to my left. She was talking on her phone. She got the green arrow, but sat and continued talking. The people behind her started honking. She sat and continued talking. She lost the green arrow, my light changed and I drove off, and she was still sitting there talking on the phone, oblivious to the world around her, and about ten angry drivers stacked-up behind her.

The best (most courteous) drivers are Australians. Sure they drive on the "wrong" side of the road, but other than that I always felt safe amongst them.

Simple & Permanent Solution: Buy a Dodge one ton Cummins and put a 4" lift kit and front and rear Trundle bumpers on it, and good nerf bars. LA taxicabs get out of the way.

You could have cured the lady, right after she crawled out from under the Dodge, still talking...

Drivers in Houston are crazy too. You NEVER signal before changing lanes, that just gives the guy behind you time to speed up and cut you off.

But Idaho makes a point. I never fix the dings and dents in my 4x4 pickup. It looks like hell. And when I want to take a lane, I pick a nice beemer or mercedes and take it. They get out of the way.

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Drivers in Houston are crazy too. You NEVER signal before changing lanes, that just gives the guy behind you time to speed up and cut you off.

But Idaho makes a point. I never fix the dings and dents in my 4x4 pickup. It looks like hell. And when I want to take a lane, I pick a nice beemer or mercedes and take it. They get out of the way.

Formosa still has my vote. Especially the few islands such as Quemoy and Matsu which are (or used to be) populated almost entirely by Chinese military personnel. Even though they were shelled every other day by mainland China they still had more casualties from vehicle accidents than from the shelling.

Santiago, Chile...muy loco drivers!

I have driven a lot in North Central Texas and in Central Texas.

In North Texas they have better drivers but they do drive too fast- at least 10 mph faster than the limit on most major highways.

In Central Texas - Austin there are a lot of out town drivers - people from other states and other countries. They drive slower but will do the weirdest things.
In Austin running lights on yellow and light pink is the rule.
A local young woman was once ticketed for painting her toe nails while driving.
No one can drive on ice in Austin.
Once at a red light I was the first car in line.
I did not start up on green because I knew the crossing traffic would run the light red. The guy behind me started blowing his horn for me to move while the 3rd car in line was still running the red light!

I had a very similar experience in Odessa years ago. I was first in line to cross a major street when the light changed. When it turned green, I looked to my right and this guy was coming. He was going to run the red. I looked back at the cars across the intersection from me. The guy first in line across from me didn't look to his left and started across the intersection. He made it, and the red-light-runner T-boned the lady driving THE SECOND car in line as it came into the intersection. It just wasn't her day.

Come to think of it, I'm ranking Odessa (during a boom) second. A lady and her daughter left a jewelry store at a mall; pulled out in front of a loaded garbage truck and tried to turn left. The truck was coming from the left, locked the brakes and tried to swerve left to avoid her. The end result was that the daughter (I found out later) was knocked out of the car. The garbage truck did a 180 and rolled onto the white car. I've never seen anything like it. I don't know how much that truck weighed but the truck crushed the car to the point that it was about 24" tall. You couldn't tell what make/model it was. Couldn't see the license plate. It looked like it had gone through a compactor. They already had a sheet over the driver, who was crushed. My wife drove a white Toyota, and she wouldn't pick-up her cell phone. I couldn't find anything that told me that wasn't my wife's car.

I drove home and there she was fixing lunch. I gave her an earful about answering her phone.

I've taught (hopefully) my wife and all my kids to look both ways BEFORE proceeding on green if they are first or second in line, especially in an urban area. It takes just a fraction of a second and can sure as hell save your day. Several times if I had just gone on green I would have been T boned by some moron running a RED light. I mean, like many people, to me yellow means hurry, but not to the point of wrecking over a damn light.

Don't ever stop trying to teach them, no matter how often they roll their eyes.

I don't know how many times I used the phrase, "hit the dog" to describe what my wife, and kids as they got old enough to drive, should do if something suddenly "jumps" out in the road in front of them, rather than take some heroic measure to swerve around an object at speed.

I guess I didn't say it often enough. We lost a daughter at age 27 when she tried to dodge a piece of truck tire on I-45 north of Houston.

Go to Utube and see some videos from the car cameras in Russia....

Another one bites the dust.

"A motorcyclist died Saturday in Grand Prairie after police say he ran a red light and was struck by a car.

Witnesses told police the motorcycle driver approached a yellow traffic light around 5:15 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 360 and New York Avenue. He accelerated as the light turned red and was hit by a car in the intersection, police spokesman Lyle Gensler said.

The motorcyclist, whose name has not been released, was thrown nearly 300 feet from the impact and died at the scene, said police spokesman Eric Hansen."

I guess it was good he was riding a bike instead of driving a truck.

They need to include finishing getting dressed while talking on the phone, while driving, in their campaign.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news...-safety-campaign.ece

Hell try Grande Prairie Alberta, it would make what happens in Texas child's play. Red lights ignored, no turn signals, reading talking on phone and doing make up all at the same time. The worst is my vehicle is bigger then yours so I have the right of way no matter what.

I would say any indian reservation from browning to wolf point montana.There are more wrecked cars & pick-ups out in front of their homes than a low rent southerner.

Well, guys, I used to live in Southern NH.
Folks down in Massachusetts have some of the highest insurance rates in the country.
Nickname for them was "Massholes"

What Spooksar described is pretty much the way of life there. Doesn't matter if it's Boston, Quincy, Mattapan or way out in Springfield. Different altitude; same attitude. You know that reputation of up-tight in-a-hurry Yankees?
Yeah, that's about right!

I live in Pennsylvania, but I've been to Boston, and it seems the specific species of Masshole that lives there learned everything they know about driving a vehicle from watching Formula1 races on television.

The only thing worse is the people who don't understand that people already ON a "Rotary" (aka "traffic circle") have right-of-way

Traffic circle ?? I was talking to a friend on the radio He lived in CT and mentioned new circles in his town -they were too small .18 wheelers could not make the turn around the circle so they drove right across the circle. I laughed and told him the same was happening here in NY state ! .
In a town in nearby PA they finally made the main street 'one way'. A great idea which I had wanted for years ! But I just heard many want it returned to the stupid, inefficient two way !

In my fairly diverse experience, Dubai. Not only pizz poor in general due to the slave inexperienced labor imported but if you get an Emirate he/she will just be an arrogant pizzazz. Very lucky open carry isn't allowed as I saw chit that made me unravel. Qatar is just the same.

Drivers in my Mid-South urban city are really not that bad.

Most don't have a choice on being careful.

They can't afford insurance and drive without it. And they've been known to leave the scene.

Latest North Texas idiot, two miles from my house on Friday.

"Allen Police say Wise, 35, was headed eastbound on Stacy Road and driving recklessly just after 1 p.m. Friday. Stacy Road is two lanes in that area. Wise attempted to pass a vehicle on the right shoulder but couldn’t. Police say he then moved into the lane of oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a vehicle driven by Deon Merrill Lewis, 59. Mrs. Lewis was killed." The deceased was a mother of four, with grandchildren.

Texas didn't even make the US top three.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/...ecom-idaho/15671265/

I've driven in all 50 states and about 10 foreign countries. By far the absolutely worst drivers I ever saw were in CT! Every time I drive there I feel like somebody painted a bullseye on my truck.

The Middle East, pick any country you want, would come in second. right of way belongs to the person with the loudest horn and the biggest balls. But even they don't hold a candle to CT!

Texas.
https://m.youtube.com/playlist...uNqGra6a9FmZeAgLUDeL

quote:

Originally posted by joester:
Santiago, Chile...muy loco drivers!

Yes, I agree 100%!

Heck, I Live in Utah, drive 2-3 times a week in Wyoming and have family in Idaho. Therefore, I am exposed to the 3 of the top 10!!

However, the states have nothing on Santiago Chile. I was there 2 years. I remember getting off the plane for the first time. We start driving and this lady in a BMW comes flying by us, passing on the right side of our vehicle, in a one lane road!! The guy I was with looks over at me and says they drive a little different here!

Another memory is the public bus transportation. Those guys were NUTS! One of the highlights was driving down the highway at night (probably 70 miles per hour) with no headlights on the bus! I still to this day do not know what he was thinking!!

Ha, Texas!

Look here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...XSg&feature=youtu.be

Those Russian car camera footage excerpts are educational.....


I saw one on the net where a column of big tanks cross right to left on a multi-lane, A Class road / Autobahn at speed. No warning, no stopping the traffic on the Autobahn.

quote:

Originally posted by robthom:
Those Russian car camera footage excerpts are educational.....


I saw one on the net where a column of big tanks cross right to left on a multi-lane, A Class road / Autobahn at speed. No warning, no stopping the traffic on the Autobahn.

Well, not column and not A-class (there are not in Russia) and here there was red light for cars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS1zgLlifHI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS1zgLlifHI

Vashper, based on the evidence, you win. Which of those cars in the video were you driving?

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
Vashper, based on the evidence, you win. Which of those cars in the video were you driving?

Which? The tank Т-90, of course. But actually, I personally, save the Lord, never seen anything like what is on the videos. However, once I drove one American, photographer, in Museum of steam locomotives, rather far from Moscow. In my opinion, traffic was normal, but the American was constantly amazed and grabbed me by the elbow.
Another portion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...lYE&feature=youtu.be
so I think to put today in the car DVR and wait for my moment of glory.

I don't remember, did I post this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj6kYKyJ76s
The last phrase, "you don't have to twist the wheel"

Kensco
If you are in the North Texas Metroplex you are confusing quantity for quality. I know that area well and have driven in it in the worst possible iced over conditions. You see a lot of problems because DFW is the 4th largest metro area population wise in the US.

I have also driven a lot in Austin. There are a larger percentage of out of state and foreign drivers in Austin and it shows. You see more clown acts at every speed. When there is ice the natives mostly stay home and the clowns just bounce off of everything.
To be a motorcycle rider in Austin is to be a kamikaze - Every trip is a possible one way trip.

For about 20 years there was a common bumper sticker. It read "Pray for me, I drive 183 Suicide Alley."

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
Latest North Texas idiot, two miles from my house on Friday.

"Allen Police say Wise, 35, was headed eastbound on Stacy Road and driving recklessly just after 1 p.m. Friday. Stacy Road is two lanes in that area. Wise attempted to pass a vehicle on the right shoulder but couldn’t. Police say he then moved into the lane of oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a vehicle driven by Deon Merrill Lewis, 59. Mrs. Lewis was killed." The deceased was a mother of four, with grandchildren.

Not sure about "in the world", but in the U.S. Montana is the repeat winner, followed by South Carolina and New Mexico.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/...tudy-nhtsa/76317220/

Farmers.

They think they are the only ones on the (rural) roads.