Where Does Montana Rank for Angry and Confrontational Drivers?
If you have spent any amount of time driving Highway 93, you can understand the saying "pray for me I drive 93." The commuter traffic on this highway can create a chaotic scene that is something straight out of the movie "Days of Thunder." Remember that movie with Tom Cruise that features the line "rubbing is racing?" Maybe that is why most that commute from the Bitterroot Valley call the 5'oclock traffic the "Bitterroot 500."
The chaos and all-around rude driving habits of commuters can quickly lead to some upset motorists. People can easily get violent if the behavior goes too far. I personally commute daily on HWY 93. I consider myself to have a "long fuse" when it comes to getting upset. But, the traffic has a way of making me feel like I am constantly in a battle for who will lead the pack. With speeds far beyond the limit, drivers will whip in and out of lanes and pass people on the right. Yet, I have only witnessed one real case of road rage in the years I have been making the daily commute.
Forbes recently looked at driving habits in the US. Ranking each state on road rage and confrontational drivers.
Forbes polled 5,000 Americans. 100 from each state. They asked them questions like "Have you ever been honked at?", "Have you ever been tailgated?" or "Has another driver ever flipped the bird?" Even going as far as to ask if "you have ever been injured in a road rage incident?"
Out of all 50 states, Utah ranks number 1 for most confrontational.
According to the study from Forbes
Utahns were the most likely in the nation (76%) to report that another driver in their home state has honked at them in frustration. More than half (58%) of survey respondents in Utah said they have been on the receiving end of a rude or offensive gesture while driving. Of those surveyed, about 1 in 4 Utahn drivers (27%) said they know of someone in their state who was injured due to a road rage incident.
This surprised me, as I would have bet the farm on it being New York, New Jersey, or California for the top spot.
As for Montana, we rank rather low. Coming in at 30th in the country for confrontational drivers. Clearly, the people they interviewed haven't spent much time on HWY 93.