National Road Rage Survey Ranks Seattle 10th Most 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, and the road is pretty smooth for Seattle drivers.

The fourth annual In the Driver’s Seat Road Rage Survey, commissioned by AutoVantage, a leading national auto club, found that Seattle is the 10th most courteous city in the country in terms of road rage, compared to 24 other major American cities. Last year, Seattle ranked No. 3 most courteous.

Contributing to its fall in this year’s rankings, Seattle took the No. 3 spot in multiple categories, including: most likely to observe other drivers running red lights; most likely to admit eating or drinking while behind the wheel; and most likely to talk on their cell phones behind the wheel (tied with New York).

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)