Pittsburgh is Rated Second for Having the Nicest Drivers

We have all been in a situation where we have lost our tempers from idiot drivers that don't seem to care whether or not they kill someone, just so long as they make it to the next stop-light before everyone else as if they were racing in the Indy 500, to which they are promptly met with some type of obscene gesture from other drivers who have had enough from people who appear to have received their license out of a Cracker-Jack box.

Road rage is a common occurrence among aggressive drivers, and some states seem to report more incidents of this growing problem than others. In a recent survey Pittsburgh drivers received a thumb's up when it comes to the nicest drivers on the planet, and although this may be hard to believe when you consider how large this city is, they fared much better then 23 other major cities. Miami, New York City and Boston came in as the top three cities with the most reported incidents of bad driving and road rage.

Portland, Oregon had the least reports of tailgaters, while drivers in St. Louis were voted the least likely to cuss out other rude drivers. This report comes from a telephone survey of more than 2,500 drivers who regularly commute in 25 major metropolitan areas. They were asked to rate road rage and rude driving incidents that occurred between January and March.

People talking on cell-phones, tailgaters, speeders, cutting off other vehicles, and reports of motorists slamming on their breaks were all a consideration when rating the top cities for the nicest and worst drivers. Miami made the list two years in a row for having the nastiest drivers, and reports from truck drivers show their amazement at how nice Pittsburgh drivers truly are when compared to other large cities.

The conclusion of the survey was tallied up by Auto Vantage, a Connecticut company that rated the 25 largest metropolitan areas for road rage and rude driving. Pittsburgh made the top of the list simply due to two specific areas, a lack of cell phone use by motorists while driving, and less mishaps from drivers slamming on their brakes at the last minute.

Pittsburgh also rated high in the category of the friendliest drivers due to a lack of using verbal obscenities and hand gestures to passing motorists that are lacking in good judgement when it comes to total mayhem in construction zones. This is highly surprising since Pittsburgh is known for it's bright orange barrels that represent highway construction that never seems to end.

Chicago, rated as the #7 worst state for road rage admitted that at least half of all drivers reported slamming on their brakes, and only1 percent of Pittsburgh drivers surveyed admitted to slamming into the back end of a bad driver's vehicle as a reaction to rude or aggressive driving.

Matthew Joint of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says, "Never assume that an aggressive act was intended as such. We all make mistakes. Don't bite back." He goes on to say that drivers should "draw reassurance from the fact that if you feel that someone is driving like an idiot, everyone else also does."

Here are 10 tips that Auto Vantage recommends to avoid violence:

1. Stay calm and in a positive frame of mind. Don't retaliate.
2. Don't make eye contact with an angry driver.
3. Before you react to anything someone does, ask yourself if getting back at them is worth your life.
4. Be courteous even when others are not.
5. Ask yourself: "Could the other driver have possibly made a mistake?"
6. If you're harassed by another driver and being followed, don't go home. Drive to the nearest police station.
7. Slow down and relax.
8. Never underestimate other drivers' capacity for mayhem.
9. Reduce your driving stress by allowing enough time to get where you are going and knowing which roads are under construction.
10. Remember that you can't control the drivers around you, but you can control the way they affect you.