National Road Rage Survey Ranks New York as Least Courteous Courteous City in U.S.

Norwalk, Conn., June 16, 2009 –The commute to work can be an unpleasant one for people across the country, but the road seems to be even bumpier for New York drivers.

The fourth annual In the Driver’s Seat Road Rage Survey, commissioned by AutoVantage, a leading national auto club, found that New York is the least courteous city in terms of road rage, compared to 24 other major U.S. cities. Last year, New York was in the No. 3 position on the same list. Big Apple drivers unseated their counterparts in Miami – who held the No. 1 least courteous position for three years in a row – to lay claim to this dubious title. Portland, Ore., ranked as the most courteous city.

Contributing to its move “up” in the ranking, New York drivers were the clear leaders in terms of reacting to rude or aggressive behavior by others. Specifically, they were most likely to wave their fists or arms at another driver in the past month, at 21 percent. New York also ranked No. 1 (tied with Detroit and Sacramento) as the city with drivers most likely to make an obscene gesture at a fellow driver, and ranked No. 2 (tied with D.C.) for horn honking.

For the first time in four years, a new city claims the title as the worst in the U.S. for road rage; New York has unseated Miami as the least courteous. Portland, Ore., ranked as the most courteous city.

The In the Driver’s Seat 2009 AutoVantage Road Rage Survey, released today, was conducted to determine the driving habits and attitudes of commuters across the country and to learn more about consumer views on the topic of road rage.

“At AutoVantage, we’ve made the drive easier every day by completing more than 1 million service calls for our customers, with everything from 24-hour roadside assistance to towing to lockout service and more. This survey is another way we assist drivers by revealing the latest driving trends and attitudes to educate and influence safer—and perhaps more courteous—driving habits,” said Brad Eggleston, vice president of AutoVantage.

Download the entire release (pdf)