Boston is listed third in road-rage survey

By Associated Press | May 15, 2007

Boston has ranked third among cities with the worst road-rage problem, in a survey released yesterday by AutoVantage, a Connecticut-based automobile membership club offering travel services and roadside assistance.

For the second straight year, rude Miami drivers earned that city the title of worst road rage.

Other cities near the top of the rude drivers list were New York, Los Angeles and Washington.

Portland, Ore., drivers were the least likely of the cities to see other motorists tailgating on the roadways, and St. Louis motorists were the least likely to swear at another driver, the survey found.

Minneapolis-St. Paul was rated the most courteous city in 2006 but slipped to the middle of the list this year.

The most frequent cause of road rage cited in the survey was impatient motorists. Drivers also cited poor driving in fast lanes and driving while stressed, frustrated or angry.

"The best piece of advice is to take a deep breath. Slow down, be aware and be careful," AutoVantage spokesman Todd Smith said, adding the aim of the survey is to increase driver safety across the nation.

More than 2,500 drivers who regularly commute in 25 major metropolitan areas were asked to rate road rage and rude driving in telephone surveys between January and March. The survey was conducted by Prince Market Research has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

The list, ranked from those reporting the most incidents of road rage to the fewest:

1. Miami

2. New York

3. Boston

4. Los Angeles

5. Washington, D.C.

6. Phoenix

7. Chicago

8. Sacramento, Calif.

9. Philadelphia

10. San Francisco

11. Houston