Study: Atlanta Drivers Among Country's Least Safe? (Dallas, Boston: transplants, insurance)

[globalnomad]

This study reports that Atlanta drivers are among the country's least safe:

Study: Atlanta drivers among country's least safe *| ajc.com

Have you been in an accident(s) while living in Atlanta?

As for me, I live ITP, drive surface roads, try to avoid the interstate completely, but still see crazy driving going on, but it's generally at a less than 40 mph.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by globalnomad

This study reports that Atlanta drivers are among the country's least safe

I'm not surprised at all given some of the stuff that I see driving to work on side roads everyday. Running red lights, turns into the far lane of traffic, lack of turn signals, etc. We almost saw an accident last night because a driver turned into traffic without looking. They did it right next to us, and she didn't even turn her head ... just drove without stopping from Cooper Lake southbound to the E/W Connector westbound. Good thing the pickup driver that almost hit her had the presence of mind to slam on his brakes and swerve!

I have not been in an accident while driving in Atlanta or the metro in six years, but my wife has been in two. One was due to a driver driving at dawn with no headlights on (she made a left turn across traffic and couldn't see him, but she got the ticket), and the other was due to someone swerving in front of her and then slamming on the brakes because the car ahead of them had to turn. And she was almost in one the other day when a truck driver turned onto our road without slowing down or looking, and when she honked he flipped her off.

[atlantagreg30127]

There are no such thing as "Atlanta drivers". When they do stories like this, that's a misconception.

Most people who live in Atlanta are transplants. They may currently live in Atlanta, but they are not "Atlanta drivers". They are drivers from NYC, L.A., Boston, New Orleans, Orlando, Oklahoma, as well as people from various Asian, Middle Eastern, and South American nations. All on the same roads, all having learned to drive in completely different states or countries. Mix all of those diverse driving habits together on a narrow-laned beltway and POOF - you get the results of that study. No shocker.

[Jackalope]

The study was bogus. It says that among cities with more than 1 million residents, New York, Houston, San Antonio, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, in that order, finished below Atlanta.

There is no way that the drivers in New York, Houston, San Antonio, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia are worse than Atlanta drivers.

We have the absolute worst drivers in the country, probably on the planet.

[testa50]

Worst drivers...based on what evidence?

I hope the "worst drivers on the planet" statement is a joke, or else you've clearly not gotten out much. I'd drive a thousand miles in Atlanta to avoid a minute on the road in Albania, to give one of many examples. And many countries have the custom of not stopping at red lights at night--you just honk when approaching, and if you don't hear another honk, you keep on going. In some countries it's even legal to do this, due to the risk of carjacking and smash & grabs (and we think crime is bad here!).

In the US, big cities seem pretty similar. In some places, like Minneapolis and the Pacific Northwest, people seem to driver rather cautiously. But when the list of "worst drivers" in the nation is also pretty much a list of the country's largest cities, it's probably not worth taking much stock in.

[Adric]

I had an idiot run a red light going 40 mph (I was doing close to 40 myself) and hit me at the intersection of Cobb Pkwy and Cumberland Blvd. I was almost killed in that accident.

I keep telling people that I've never seen drivers anywhere that are as crazy as they are here. If I see one more person cut off 5 lanes of traffic at the last second trying to make their exit, I'm going to nut up and go Rambo on their butts. Not really (then I would be part of the problem) but it would be very satisfying.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by testa50

In the US, big cities seem pretty similar. In some places, like Minneapolis and the Pacific Northwest, people seem to driver rather cautiously. But when the list of "worst drivers" in the nation is also pretty much a list of the country's largest cities, it's probably not worth taking much stock in.

The guarantee of snow- and ice-covered roads on an annual basis does instill periodic caution in a population. That said, though, the Twin Cities has its own share of aggressive/stupid drivers, and the first snowfall of the year isn't a picnic up there, either.

Even people in the midwest have to re-learn the obvious every year ... any sudden actions on snow mean a potential loss of control, and that will turn a car (or a 4x4 truck) into a sliding projectile with very little warning.

[Mattie]

Knocking a big chunk of wood here, but I have never had an at fault accident or a ticket, either here, or in NJ and FL. Even better, none of my three sons have either, and we just got our auto insurance cut in half because of it (and all three boys are still under 25). I don't think a particular part of the country has anything to do with safe driving. Either you are alert, or you aren't.

I find GA drivers generally courteous, and usually less aggressive than those in NJ and FL, but I refuse to get into a pissing contest with anybody on the road. You want to ride my tail? I'll move over, even if I'm already above the speed limit.

[DTL3000]

I've seen it from the perspective of an automobile driver, a motorcyclist, a bicyclist, and a pedestrian and I'm not surprised a bit. Most drivers in Atlanta seem oblivious at best and downright homicidal at worst. I get really burned up when someone cuts me off or something along those lines when I'm riding my motorcycle or my bike. I don't hesitate to give idiots a piece of my mind on the road and I nearly dragged someone out of their car yesterday for being a moron.

Also, it seems like everyone in Georgia is a wannabe NASCAR driver. The farther out you get the worse it seems. Nothing is more irritating than being tailgated on backroads.

The road layout doesn't help matters either. Suicide lanes and 5 point intersections are trouble. NYC traffic may be more harried but at least the street layout is logical(unless you're in the Village) and the drivers tend to be more alert.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by Adric

I keep telling people that I've never seen drivers anywhere that are as crazy as they are here. If I see one more person cut off 5 lanes of traffic at the last second trying to make their exit, I'm going to nut up and go Rambo on their butts. Not really (then I would be part of the problem) but it would be very satisfying.

Yes, everyday, I see this crap. We have great road signs preceding 2 miles before the exit yet, people still don't see them and just fly across all the lanes and everyone be damned to let them in...crazy...

Its been 2 times that I've almost been hit due to idiots that have done this due to their GPS system and as rcsteiner said, they don't even look..they are just robots to the GPS...