St. Louis drivers earn failing marks
Men’s Health magazine has come out with new rankings that show St. Louis drivers are the second worst motorists in the country - behind only Columbia, S.C. and earning an F along the way.
According to a brief item on its website, the magazine crunched numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Governors Highway Safety Administration and Allstate Insurance.
It looked at fatal accident rates, including those caused by excessive speeding, and data on speeding, accident frequency and seatbelt use.
Kansas City also received a failing grade and Southern cities held down seven of the 10 worst. The best city, according to the Men’s Health rankings, was Des Moines, Iowa, where drivers earned an A+. (Also earning an A+ were - gulp - New York City drivers).
The fact that two Missouri cities made the list may come as a surprise to some. Missouri highway-safety officials announced recently that statewide traffic deaths had dropped to a 14-year low.
Here’s a link to the article on the Men’s Health web site.
Give me the numbers on cell phone useage while driving by state and I’ll give you the list of worst drivers by state. Lets all overlook the fact that cell phone drivers have killed MANY more innocent people than the targets of MADD.
Leo
FASMTOCPWDTKA
“Fathers Against Soccer Moms Talking On Cell Phones While Driving Their Kids Around”
Yes. Yes. Yes. Without a doubt, the worst by far. The morons that are on the roads could not possibly pass a driving test. They have absolutely no idea what the rules of the road are, ie. changing lanes over solid white lines, rolling stops, don’t know what blinkers are for, etc. etc.. And not a day goes by that I don’t see these self important women, with a cell phone glued to their heads while driving in their precious gas guzzling minivans. How are you putting your make-up on? And these retards in their SUV’s (the reason that gas is 4 bucks a gallon) flying down the street because they feel so safe. It’s a freaking nightmare on the roads and you take your life into other people’s hands every time you get on any road. Lets put up cameras everywhere people. Thanks alot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
haha, I bet most of you haven’t been down to Rolla O:-)
I’m from central Illinois but I have recently moved here and I agree with Men’s Health. I have been to Chicago, and it is really bad there, but I find Illinois drivers to be aggressive. It’s mandatory in Illinois to take drivers education classes, which I was involved in for nearly a year before I got my drivers license, before you’re able to drive on your own. I have friends from here that said they just went to the DMV and passed a two minute test to get there license. I find people getting in more accidents here than anywhere else I have been. I don’t think this is because St. Louis drivers are crazy…I think it is because St. Louis drivers just don’t know how to drive.
I moved here from Southern Illinois a year ago, but have relatives in Chicago and other urban areas throughout this country, and I totally agree that St. Louis drivers are awful. I have repeatedly almost been ran off the road, cut off, flipped off, and generally scared for my life while driving in metropolitan St. Louis. People drive like no one else is on the road. Slow down and pay attention St. Louis and maybe the traffic reports wouldn’t be so long every single morning and afternoon!
I completely agree with the article. Men’s Health should forget crunching numbers and witness it first-hand, like the rest of us.
The study means nothing. However, St. Louis drivers are amongst the worst I’ve ever encountered. When I first moved here 10 years ago, the real estate agent (from Boston) called Missouri the “Show Me How to Drive State”. It was apt. Drivers here (in general) do not understand the concepts that many have outlined above. For a city and county that has a lot of four way stop signs, very few people really can navigate them successfully — they basically feel that when they get to the stop sign, it must be their turn. They also don’t understand that taking your foot off the accelerator can slow the car down AND you can cover the brake just in case. Instead, so many people here just slam on the brakes for no apparent reason, on highways, at green lights, and on downhills. I don’t think it is a matter of cell phone usage — St. Louis, after all, is not the only place in the world where people talk on their phones. It is more a lack of awareness of what is going on around them.
I would agree St. Louis does have bad drivers. In the county everyone thinks they have the “right of away” due to their SUV’s and BMW’s. In the city they just don’t care… and may not even be licensed. Everywhere you have people talking on their cell phones… while swerving, going too fast, or going too slow…. So no matter what the case is we all need to be aware and adopt defensive driving and hopefully not succumb to major “Road Rage”.
I’ve lived in Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, Florida, California and Missouri. Missouri drivers are by far the rudest, self centered, unattentive drivers I have ever encountered.
I agree with the grade. I believe most of our reps and other government officials who could make changes don’t really care since they are driven in limo’s or take cabs. Most of them don’t even drive themselves. I also agree that MODOT is NOT a true DOT (Department of Transportation). If they were a true department of transport they would be helping to merge with Metro but since they cannot since they are a government entity then the Status Quo will just continue till both MODOT and Metro are left with little to no funds for the future. Venting is good but maybe once the gas runs out for those in MODOT they will see the future is not Highways and more lanes. Sacrificing our children’s future for a few saved minutes at 60mph (when one is not tied up in traffic) is sad.