I have lived in 5 different states in my life. Shortest stay in any of them was 3 years. And here's the one universal truth I've noticed about asking about drivers in (insert random state here):
No matter where you are, or who you ask, the people that aren't from that state will complain about the drivers there, and the people that are from that state will complain about the drivers in every other state they've ever been to.
In other words, it's a pointless exercise, unless you're doing a paper on people's prejudices based on where they grew up.
I have lived in 5 different states in my life. Shortest stay in any of them was 3 years. And here's the one universal truth I've noticed about asking about drivers in (insert random state here):
No matter where you are, or who you ask, the people that aren't from that state will complain about the drivers there, and the people that are from that state will complain about the drivers in every other state they've ever been to.
In other words, it's a pointless exercise, unless you're doing a paper on people's prejudices based on where they grew up.
The exception to prove your rule would be Boston drivers, they're the worst and they know it (and are proud of it)...
I've lived in Miami, Boston, and various spots of NJ. Boston has the worst parking drivers (they will just leave their cars in the middle of the road), Miami has the scariest drivers (100 in a 40mph, no blinkers, no headlights, no regulations on vehicle condition), and NJ has the most aggressive drivers.
Still, nothing is worse that NY drivers, who just drive along with complete disregard to speed limit and other drivers. Not just the Boston stopping, or the Miami speeding. They do whatever they want, wherever they want. Turnpike in the left lane? Let's do 35 in rush hour. My neighborhood on Thanksgiving? Let's do 65 in a 25 and blast the bass at 2pm.
I have lived in several states and countries (thanks to the military) and have to say that every state has it's issues. Being a bad driver is not restricted to any goegraphic area. People can't drive universaly. The rules of the road are destroyed on a daily basis and people will always complain about it, while destroying the rules of the road.
PA+NY drivers going to the casinos in Atlantic City should be on the list of "Most Dangerous Drivers"
They'll go across 4 lanes to get to their favorite casino and if your ever stuck behind them, you are left wondering "**** what are they going to do next?!!!*
Take a ride in Ct. They can't drive when it rains or even worse when it snows. They basically come to a complete stop on the highway if it isn't dry and clear out.
The biggest problem with driving in NJ is the state's complete inability to design any sort of road that makes any sort of logical sense whatsoever. I'm pretty certain the traffic engineers in this state were practitioners in some sort of cult that laid out the roads for ritualistic purposes.
Examples:
Traffic circles have no clear an consistient rules, and signage is often missing or obscured.
Jughandles are OK (though the premise is questionable) when they exist, but the inconsistiency is ridiculous.
Merge areas are often missing entirely, with no warning whatsoever that two lanes are merging together.
The previous is often the result of a highway that has been split for no discernable reason whatsoever.
In general, cloverleafs are a logistical disaster due to the jughandles and the clear lack of thought put into how local traffic would be affected by them.
Signs have piss poor messaging. Every exit sign needs a North, South, East or West designation on it somewhere. Place names aren't helpful if you're not familiar with the area, and if you were familiar with the area, you wouldn't need the signs, would you? Likewise, pick a road number and stick with it for a while. Designations like 202/206/287 only lead to confusion.
Express lanes aren't. Quit being clever and pave the damn median so more traffic can actually get through at a time.
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"Excuse us... We're not Mexican; we're from out of town."
Guess I should clarify that I've been a regular driver in Baltimore, rural PA, Bay Area in CA, and NJ.
NJ drivers aren't bad. Biggest problem you have is the overpriveleged SUV-driving soccer moms with no SA and a sense of entitlement. But you have that everywhere now.
Baltimore drivers are OK until bad weather hits, then the stupid fairy starts working overtime.
Bay area drivers are, hands down, the worst I have ever encountered.
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"Excuse us... We're not Mexican; we're from out of town."
I can't find a link to the article right now but, I read a poll last year that ranked NJ drivers as 48th(IIRC) in the country for drivers knowledge of basic driving laws.
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We must fear evil men and deal with them accordingly, but what we must truly guard against, what we must fear most, is the indifference of good men.