Bad drivers clog the highways everywhere.
Three states topping the national list of awful drivers with bad records exist in New England.
Step aside, New York.
Three New England states fill out the top five slots in a nationwide ranking of states with bad drivers.
In a study updated in August, 2020 the number one state nationwide when it comes to the number of at-fault accidents, proportionately, is … drum roll please … Massachusetts. The study, by the insurance industry rate comparison site Insurify, found over 17 percent of Massachusetts drivers caused fault accidents now blemishing their driving record.
New Hampshire, whose drivers point the finger at Massachusetts’ drivers as the rudest, claims no bragging rights here. The Granite State comes in not far behind as the fifth worst state in the nation when it comes to drivers with at-fault accidents in their records. Nearly 16 percent of New Hampshire drivers caused an accident at some time in the past.
Surprisingly, Maine came in at the number two spot, at just under 17 percent of Maine drivers having caused an accident in the past.
Can Bad Drivers Blame Traffic?
Some direct quotes from the study give motorists a verbal spanking. If the study were a report card drivers would hang their heads in shame showing them to their parents.
For example, Massachusetts drivers can partially blame the Bay State’s high concentration of traffic:
“The reputation of these drivers as notoriously rude may not be entirely false, but the level of congestion Massachusetts residents experience daily is likely enough to aggravate even the kindest of drivers.”
“Eyes on the Road…”, Insurify, August 2020.
At the same time, if New Hampshire has more rural roads with less traffic, can we expect more polite drivers? Can New Hampshire drivers sit back and gloat over the Mass drivers they love to hate? Here’s what the same study said:
“Based on New Hampshire’s high volume of reckless driving incidents … a possible determinant of this state’s accident rates could be a lack of common discretion on these less congested, open roads, leading to an abundance of carelessness and an increase in driving errors.”
“Eyes on the Road…”, Insurify, August 2020.
Top 10 Habits of Bad Drivers
You see bad drivers any time you’re on the road. What do they do to raise your blood pressure? Here are the top 10 things bad drivers do to annoy the rest of us:
Tailgate.
Sometimes they’re so close you can’t even see their headlights behind you. Riding inches behind your rear bumper they threaten and distract you. No solace comes in the fact that if there’s a need for a sudden stop and they hit you, causing an accident, they are liable for the damages and any resulting injury.
Weave in and out of Traffic.
On the interstate, especially near metropolitan areas, they go from the far right lane to the far left lane and back again, constantly switching back and forth to zoom ahead and gain a questionable advantage.
Run Red Lights and Stop Signs.
Few things in life annoy us more than waiting forever at a red light, having it finally turn green and some inconsiderate nitwit runs their red light causing a likely accident at worse, at best, making you wait longer.
Fail to Pay Attention at Red Lights.
You wait forever behind other cars at a red light. Finally, the light turns green. The driver ahead, distracted by their cell phone or otherwise, stands still, and you’re still stopped at the GREEN light. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t beep the horn. Don’t do it, you’re waiting even longer at a GREEN light. Tap the horn and the distracted driver more likely than not will show you their IQ by holding up that many fingers. You know the one.
Drive Over Center Line.
Especially in rural areas why do some drivers think it’s OK to drive in the middle of the road? You come around the corner and some road hog barges towards you in the center of the road as though they own it.
Fail to Lower High Beams.
Night driving especially on rural back roads provides no fun when jerks fail to simply lower the high beams to low. Why don’t they understand that if anyone is killed by blinding you, it might be them?
Failure to Stay in Lane.
You see it every day. Vehicles drift over the lines on the edge of the road, or the other side. Texting, drunk or otherwise, distracted drivers fail to stay in lane, threatening pedestrians, runners, other vehicles and anyone else obeying the law.
Speed.
People say you’re “good for” 5 miles over the limit. You know what? Five turns into ten, then 20 … The National Transportation Safety Board keeps car accident statistics. The board reports that speeding holds the record as number one cause of fatal accidents.
Cut you Off.
You could be in the far right lane. Someone who thinks they’re more important than the rest of us swerves from a further left lane in front of you at the last second to dive into the exit ramp. Or they pass you and before they’re fully past, swerve right in front of you barely missing your front bumper, often causing you to hit the brakes.
Refuse to Allow Merge.
There’s heavy bumper to bumper traffic. You need to merge onto the highway and they lock bumpers with the car in front preventing your merge.
The bad habits of reckless drivers cause incredible frustration. Worse, according to those who keep records, willful reckless driving causes motor vehicle accidents and injuries.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration studies show 6 million car accidents take place on U.S. Highways every year. The World Health Organization numbers contend the U.S. accident rate is 50 percent higher than the accident rate in places like Canada and the UK.
Getting behind the wheel always presents certain risks. Especially knowing drivers in Massachusetts and, yes, New Hampshire top the list of people behind the wheel who have an at-fault accident on their record.
Unfortunately bad drivers cause car accidents every day. People injured as a result of another driver’s negligence often face an uphill battle with the other driver’s insurance company, which will try to minimize your injury. If you or a loved one suffer injuries from a motor vehicle accident our office can handle the legal and insurance issues, allowing you to focus on getting better and back to your normal routine.
Contact us now in the block below this article or call one of the numbers at the top of this site 24/7.
Sources:
Eyes on the Road: States with the Most Car Accidents. Insurify.
Traffic Safety Facts Annual Report, NHTSA.
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