How safe are drivers in your city?

By: Drivers.com staff

Date: Wednesday, 05. July 2006

A study of U.S. drivers' driving habits and safety concerns shows that while those behind the wheel are worried about the behavior of their fellow drivers, they are still likely to speed (driving 10 miles per hour or more over the speed limit), tailgate, and drive through yellow lights that are turning red.

According to the annual consumer survey, commissioned by The Steel Alliance, 95 percent of drivers said they considered tailgating an aggressive driving act, followed closely by making rude gestures (91 percent) and passing on the shoulder (90 percent). When asked which of these actions they also considered dangerous , 84 percent cited tailgating and passing on the shoulder (83 percent).

Though Americans recognize these acts to be aggressive and dangerous, a significant number still owned up to committing them. When asked about their driving behavior over the past month, 62 percent admitted to driving through yellow lights that were turning red, and 61 percent said they had driven 10 or more miles over the speed limit. See the two tables below for details.

The survey also found regional differences in the way Americans conduct themselves on the road. In-depth surveys conducted in Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Chicago, and Cleveland revealed that drivers' aggressive driving habits vary from city to city. A grade, which compares the safety of drivers across the U.S., was given to each city based on the findings. For example:

• Cleveland drivers are generally more aggressive on the roads than other
• U.S. drivers, with more frequent speeding, double parking, honking, and tailgating, scoring a low safety grade (F).
• Drivers in Indianapolis are more likely to engage in horn honking and rude gesturing than drivers in other U.S. cities and scored a lower safety grade (C) than they gave themselves (B).
• In Chicago, drivers are more likely to perceive their fellow drivers as rude, more so than in drivers in other U.S. cities. Chicago drivers scored a higher safety grade (B) than they gave themselves (D).
• Drivers in Minneapolis tend to speed (10 m.p.h. over the speed limit) more than other U.S. drivers, scoring a higher safety grade (C) than they gave themselves (D).
• Detroit drivers are more tolerant of aggressive and dangerous driving acts, in general, than drivers in other U.S. cities and scored a lower safety grade (D) than they gave themselves (C).

When asked what safety component of an automobile they considered the most effective, the majority of the drivers (81 percent) said that in the case of a car crash, steel protection of any kind would effectively protect them and their family. More specifically, 67 percent cited steel safety cages, while 61 percent cited steel side-impact beams. Other methods mentioned were seat belts (78 percent) and airbags (61 percent).

"With large numbers of drivers travelling over the Memorial Day weekend, highway delays and congestion are more likely to bring out the worst in drivers," said Mark Stephenson, president of The Steel Alliance . "This study gives us more insight into how people are driving and what they consider aggressive and dangerous. We want to help drivers understand the problem and ensure a higher level of safety and security on the road."

To protect against aggressive drivers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that drivers plan ahead before taking trips, consider alternate routes, obey the speed limit, and always try to be courteous while driving.

The Steel Alliance is a coalition of more than 145 steel producers and affiliated organizations that came together for the first time in 1997 to launch a consumer campaign to promote the benefits of steel.

What do people consider dangerous?

Is this act dangerous?	Percentage who say YES
Tailgating	84%
Passing on the shoulder	83
Driving through yellow lights that are turning red	73
Waiting until the last second to merge with traffic on the highway	73
Failing to yield to merging traffic	71
Changing lanes without signaling	70
Driving 10 mph or more over the speed limit	62
Cruising in the passing lane, forcing others to pass on the right	58
Making rude gestures	50
Flashing high beams at the car in front of you	54
Driving 10 mph or slower under the speed limit	42
Pulling into a parking space someone else is waiting for	39
Double parking	38
Honking the horn	26

How do Americans define aggressive driving?

Is this act aggressive?	Percentage who say YES
Tailgating	95%
Making rude gestures	91
Passing on the shoulder	90
Pulling into a parking space someone else is waiting for	88
Failing to yield to merging traffic	85
Flashing high beams at the car in front of you	74
Waiting until the last second to merge with traffic on the highway	66
Changing lanes without signaling	66
Driving through a yellow light that is turning red	62
Honking the horn	53
Double parking	53
Driving 10 mph or slower under the speed limit	27

Methodology

A nationally representative telephone survey of 1000 adult licensed drivers was conducted by Global Strategy Group between March 17 and March 28, 2000. Concurrent telephone surveys were conducted with approximately 100 adult licensed drivers in each of five cities Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis. A summary of the key findings from the national and city-specific surveys was then developed. The margin error is + 3.1%.

Each city was given two grades based on responses to two different questions. The "Perceived Safety Grade" was based on the percentage of adults who think the drivers in their city are "less safe" than drivers in other cities. Cities with fewer "less safe" responses get a higher grade.The "Actual Safety Grade" was based on the percentage of adults who committed many (4 or more) aggressive driving acts in the past month. Cities with fewer drivers committing many aggressive driving acts get a higher grade.

--See more Drivers.com articles and links about road rage and aggressive driving.

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