Chicago’s Drivers are Among America’s Rudest

Today's my day to talk to you about driving here in Illinois. Earlier this morning, I posted some analysis of summer road trips that has Illinois ranked as the 16th worst state for summer travel (click here for that report). As soon as I finished up that post, I got an email from Expedia that gives a few numbers from their Road Rage 2016 Report. Not surprisingly, Chicago gets the nod for rudeness behind the wheel. It's not #1, but I'm sure the Windy City is willing to try a bit harder.

From the Expedia Road Rage report:

43 percent of survey respondents said drivers in New York City exhibit the “worst road rage,” making it the least courteous driving city in America. Los Angeles came in second on our “Rudeness Rankings,” cited by 30 percent of survey respondents. Holding steady at No. 3: Chicago, which 16 percent of respondents tabbed as the worst. An overwhelming number of drivers—48 percent of respondents—still report receiving the middle finger while on the road. About 35 percent of our survey respondents said they have been the subjects of yelling or cursing, while 13 percent said they have been accosted by a driver who exited his or her vehicle to do so. 9 percent of survey respondents said have gotten into a physical altercation with another driver.

The unusual wrinkle to the story is that rude behavior is not confined to people in another car, sometimes we've got the annoyance riding along with us:

On this point, more than 61 percent of survey respondents cited backseat driving as the “most offensive” behavior their co-passengers exhibit, followed by the passengers who won’t help navigate, or “reluctant co-pilots” (11 percent) and “the radio hog” (9 percent). “The snoozer” was cited by 6 percent of survey respondents as an offensive co-passenger, and 5 percent called out “The shoeless.”

For a complete look at what's really ticking us off on the highways and byways of this great land, check out Expedia's Road Rage Report 2016.

I thought about adding a road rage video for you here at the end, but there are so many to choose from. Take a look on YouTube for some truly insane interactions on the road.