National Road Rage Survey Ranks Tampa 11th 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, and the road is pretty bumpy for Tampa drivers.

The fourth annual In the Driver’s Seat Road Rage Survey, commissioned by AutoVantage, a leading national auto club, found that Tampa is the 11th least courteous city in the country in terms of road rage, compared to 24 other major American cities. That’s a slight improvement from last year’s ninth least courteous ranking.

Contributing to its new ranking, Tampa drivers are the second least likely to wave their fists or arms at another driver in reaction to rude or aggressive driving. But keeping them on the “least courteous” list, Tampa drivers are most likely to admit texting, e-mailing and/or using their BlackBerry while driving, tied with Atlanta, Dallas and Philadelphia. They also tied with Atlanta for the No. 2 spot for most likely to observe others tailgating.

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)