It's Official!! FL Drivers Are The Worst

[lovebuzzandwoody]

A few years ago we were down in FLA and there was this big traffic jam on the highway from Tampa to Orlando. Found out later on the news that an elderly lady was in the left lane, stopped, put her signal on to get off on the exit ramp which was on the right side of the highway. Caused a big pile up.

Someone just did this to me yesterday!!! Driving in the right hand lane of a major divided highway and decides she needs to turn left. Comes to a complete stop, puts her blinker on (we'll give her that at least!) and waits until the traffic clears and she can cross 2 lanes of traffic to make her turn.

All the while, I'm honking at her and praying that no one rear ends ME!


Yep, I live in FL.
Nope, I'm not from here.

We also call them Q-tips

 

[doconeill]

Are you sure you weren't in MA?

I was already thinking, substitute "MA" for "FL" and "I-93" or "Route 128" for "I-4" and I knew EXACTLY what he was talking about.

You should just see what happens on I-93 when the breakdown lanes are opened up for traffic in the morning/evening - those are the FAST lanes! Just TRY and take an exit...

 

[GAN]

I'll save you all the argument, it's official(maybe?):

http://www.walletpop.com/2010/05/27/worst-drivers-in-america-by-state/

While RI is only ranked 5th worst, it easily ranks #1 for bad drivers per capita. Not sure what all you Mass and Florida folks are bragging about.

 

[doconeill]

I'll save you all the argument, it's official(maybe?):

http://www.walletpop.com/2010/05/27/worst-drivers-in-america-by-state/

While RI is only ranked 5th worst, it easily ranks #1 for bad drivers per capita. Not sure what all you Mass and Florida folks are bragging about.

All that means is that New Yorkers don't know how to take a written test...

 

[lugnut33]

Where do you rank your home state?

We don't have enough population to have traffic, so we are probably the best state.

 

[disneyholic family]

We don't have enough population to have traffic, so we are probably the best state.

say what you will about the sorry state of Michigan's economy (and nothing you could say could possibly describe how bad the situation is), but Michiganders do know how to drive - (most of them).....for the most part, they're polite drivers and obey the laws....

as for florida drivers - i can sum them up with this story:
i once was stopped at a light on a main road in orlando behind a beautiful 18 wheeler.....the kind of truck that in michigan usually has a really great driver, not just good........
well this floridian truck driver decided he'd back up his 18 wheeler - on a main road - because he'd missed his turn...
thank god there was no one behind me as i was able to throw my car into reverse and back away from him (after he'd already hit the front of my rental car)...
a main road!!!! i couldn't believe it....what kind of idiot backs up an 18 wheeler on a main road because they missed their turn?????????
up to that point i'd never encountered a bad truck driver of a rig that size...

 

[safetymom]

It's very frustrating living here with the slow pokes in the left hand lane. Or the ones that are going slow in the right lane then pull over to the left. I knew PA had lots of crazy drivers but they knew to stay out of the left lane unless you were planning on passing or driving fast. I wish FL had a law about that like PA did.

 

[lugnut33]

It's very frustrating living here with the slow pokes in the left hand lane. Or the ones that are going slow in the right lane then pull over to the left. I knew PA had lots of crazy drivers but they knew to stay out of the left lane unless you were planning on passing or driving fast. I wish FL had a law about that like PA did.

Florida has no "slow traffic keep right" law?

 

[kbelle8995]

Florida has no "slow traffic keep right" law?

And every state has bad drivers.

People who don't know where going and switch three lanes.
Texting while driving.
People driving too slow or too fast. So I'm a little offended by the generalization that all Florida drivers are bad.

Maybe I'm just taking this discussion too seriously.

I tremble to discribe the bumper sticker I saw when I was a teen in South Florida, "When I grow old, I'm moving north and driving slow."

 

[FireDancer]

Maybe I'm just taking this discussion too seriously.

Probably.

For what it's worth there were 13.8 fatal car accidents per 1,000 people in FL in 2009. The national average is 11.01 so FL is worse than average. Here in Ohio we have 8.85. I will say that even in the snow here I feel safer than I did in FL when among my fellow drivers.

Source: NHTSA The site has a lot of detailed info on all the states if anyone is interested.

 

[kbelle8995]

Probably.

For what it's worth there were 13.8 fatal car accidents per 1,000 people in FL in 2009. The national average is 11.01 so FL is worse than average.

Just keep in mind that some of these drivers come from up North. Flordians to me are people who are born and raised here.

I think it was John Stewart who said "What are you blaming Florida for? We keep sending them these people." around the 2000 elections.

 

[safetymom]

I am sorry to hear that I am not considered a Floridian even though I live here.

 

[FireDancer]

Just keep in mind that some of these drivers come from up North. Flordians to me are people who are born and raised here.

I think it was John Stewart who said "What are you blaming Florida for? We keep sending them these people." around the 2000 elections.

Perhaps a better title for the thread is "Drivers in FL are the worst". I'm pretty sure the statistics only look at the location of the accident and not the origin of the drivers but that is true for all the states so it should pretty much equal out.

 

[kbelle8995]

I am sorry to hear that I am not considered a Floridian even though I live here.

Yeah and I hate to say that. Because I like you SM so in my book you are. I also grew up with people in my area who told me New York was run better. So maybe it's a tad of sore spot with me.

I promise to not take this discussion too seriously. My little Florida heart just hates it when people say bad things about my state. It is how I define myself. I am proud of my state and it's history. And to be honest at one point my people were transplants too. My dad is one from Ohio but he moved here when he was three. And sometimes he sounds more like a native than my mother who was born here.

I hope I didn't offend anyone.

 

[TallyTutter]

Just keep in mind that some of these drivers come from up North. Flordians to me are people who are born and raised here.

I think it was John Stewart who said "What are you blaming Florida for? We keep sending them these people." around the 2000 elections.

That's right kbelle! We got them that way!!

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

Nope, not offended kbelle! I think it's nice that you are proud of your home. I'm proud of where I come from and the places I've moved onto as well.

I don't think the OP was trying to be nasty... just making an observation on their experience. I complain a lot about the awful drivers here where I live in the panhandle but I will also admit most of them are not from here ~ they hail from a land far to the north and they come to where I live in the winter time in droves!

Anyway, don't take it to heart! All of us dissers obviously love FL too ~ the home of our happy place!

 

[zulemara]

We drove down to Florida last week and spent time in Orlando and Clearwater. Had a great time, however I have officially annointed Florida drivers as the worst drivers in the US.

Why do people in FL ride in the left lane, the lane designated for passing? I spent a lot of time in the right lane with no traffic. On I-4 the middle and left lanes would be packed, but nobody would be in the right lane. I just didn't get it. "Slower traffic keep right", have they not heard of that?

Oh, and then there is that special person who is doing 55mph (70 mph speed limit) in the left hand lane. Sure, you can flash them, but they are not getting over, the left lane is theirs.... forever.

And then the people in Florida who speed up and then slow down. They'll pass you, pull in front and slow down so you have to repass them. Then they'll speed up and pass again, only to slow down. Drives me batty.

Congrats Florida, you have the worst drivers in the US. Even CA wasn't as bad.

Well I'd say the part about driving in the left lane...wisconsinites, the part about 55 in the left lane...iowans, and ppl who speed up and slow down...Illionois.

I don't have a problem with FL drivers, I have a problem with the tourist drivers!

 

[xItsCorx]

I'm from Florida myself and can agree that drivers around here are terrible. I partially blame the high concentration of New Yorkers that live around me though. No offense to them it's just that most of the people from around here are from New York and some are still relatively new drivers even thought they're in their 30s or 40s because they didn't have to worry about driving a vehicle until they moved down here. The Snow-Birds don't help much either. But it is what it is...you learn to deal with it *shrug* haha

 

[lugnut33]

Well I'd say the part about driving in the left lane...wisconsinites

Oh no you didn't!! I drive the highways everyday here in WI and people just don't ride in the left lane. There's actually a law against it, but I doubt anybody has actually received a ticket for it. There are also signs telling you to stay in the right lane.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

I agree I have lived here a little over a year and the problem is not us transplants it IS the tourists and the snowbirds. They dont know where they are going and just drive like they have no sense. Buy a GPS it will do you a world of good people