Turn around and give yourselves a hearty pat on the back, Bostonians. You’ve made the top five — on a list of drivers with the worst road rage in the country.
In a study released by Expedia on Wednesday, respondents said New York has the least courteous drivers on the road. That’s followed by Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Of the more than 1,000 men and women surveyed, 11 percent thought Boston drivers were not-so-nice. Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, and Houston rounded out the naughty drivers list.
The study, conducted by GfK, an independent global market research company, comes as millions of Americans prepare for Memorial Day and summer road trips. The survey asked American drivers to articulate opinions of fellow motorists, including which behaviors infuriate them the most.
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It seems that most drivers are safety-minded, because texters were named as the most aggravating drivers on the road. Tailgaters were second, followed by last-minute lane-cutters. Swervers, speeders, crawlers, drifters, and honkers also ranked high, or is that low?
Eighty percent of respondents said they’ve witnessed cars weaving in and out of traffic. They’ve also seen “dangerous speeding” (77 percent), multi-taskers (76 percent), motorists getting cut off (73 percent), and aggressive tailgating (68 percent). If all that bad driving wasn’t enough, those taking the survey also reported seeing a fair amount of less-than-polite behavior. Nearly half said they’ve received a crude middle finger or another “rude/hostile hand gesture.” They’ve also been yelled at, and, perhaps more upsetting, 20 percent of drivers reported that they’ve felt physically threatened by another driver.
As a result, 45 percent of US drivers said they do not consider their peers to be careful drivers. And cyclists beware: 13 percent of motorists resent having to share the road with you.
Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Chris_Muther.
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