DRIVING IN OTHER STATES

DRIVING IN OTHER STATES.

When traveling frequently to other states, one is more aware of the surroundings and especially what is happening on the road. Driving is the most prominent. Certain states come across as having more aggressive drivers who insist on speeding and driving right on your tail.

I thought driving in California was bad. No way! There is more traffic on the road, and as a result you do not have the dare-devil driving as much as you see in other states. In the Carolinas, the roads are narrow and not many street lights to help you see where you are going, which slows the traffic. In Nevada, they have heavy traffic but the roads are in good shape, new, organized, and easy to drive on. In California the drivers are semi-courteous and you do get many dirty looks and finger gestures if you are holding up the traffic.

Now for Wisconsin. I find it very uncomfortable to be on the freeway. The drivers are all speed drivers who drive right up to your back bumper and keep it there following you, even if the next lane is open. I noticed they do not change lanes to take advantage of the open, traffic free situation, and they use cell phones freely, since it obviously is not mandatory to have hand-free phones. During my visit in August of 2009, I was going to work in the morning on Hwy 41. Two girls in the car behind me were laughing and talking on the cell phone. The traffic was heavy during that time of the morning, and they were right on my tail. At the exit for Wal-Mart, they are adding a lane. I was in the slow lane when the car in front of me suddenly hit the brake. At that point of recognition, I had only 3 car lengths left between us. I had to raise my arm to let them know to slow down. They almost hit me because they were too close and not paying attention.

When I got home in the evening, I decided to find out what states have the worst drivers by rank. To my surprise, Wisconsin was number 13 of the best drivers on the list, North Carolina was 22, California and Connecticut 33, Nevada 39, and South Carolina was 40. The best drivers are in Kansas.

For a complete list of all the states to see how your friends’ and relatives’ states are ranked go to: http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/GMAC-Insurance-National-Drivers-Test-Rankings/

My apology to Wisconsin for thinking they would rank lower, but I still think they are the most aggressive drivers.

Remember, your family loves you and needs you as well as your fellow employees at the company. The next time you are on the road, please do not use the phone without a hands-free device, pay attention to your driving, respect the other drivers around you, and drive safely. Taking a few extra minutes to get to where you are going is far better than a serious injury or death. “Better late than never”…. We do not want to “miss” you because of an unfortunate driving accident.