Michigan Drivers Best in Country

[HouseTiger]

Try driving in metro Atlanta. You have two kinds of drivers: The Quick and The Wrecked. Out-of-state drivers combined with moronodon driving while texting, drinking coffee, eating God knows what, (and putting on their 'war paint') make for interesting times.

 

[Driz]

Originally Posted by doitmyself
Originally Posted by HangFire
Well I guess the 20% uninsured rate (mind-boggling to a Marylander) explains why you pay so much for car insurance.

In Maryland the vehicle is what is really insured, not the driver, so I wonder if that is the case there. Also if similar uninsured driver rates hold here if you look at it that way.

Michigan has no fault insurance and one of the big factors is our Personal Insurance Protection (PIP) policy: "Michigan differs from other PIP states in the limit department. Most other no-fault states put a limit on the PIP amount but Michigan guarantees unlimited lifetime medical benefits to auto accident victims, which dramatically increases an insurers risk.". https://www.insure.com/car-insurance/car-insurance-rates.html

And, having grown up in NW Indiana, it was always driven into my head that "those IllinoiSe drivers" were always the worst, judged by how much the veins in my dad's forehead swelled whenever one of them "noise drivers" was in proximity.



That unlimited insurance payment and the resulting sharkfest of Ambulance Chasers sure will do it. It's ludicrous to leave anything open ended like that. Of course you always must ask that question WHO BENEFITS. Just as likely which dirty politician is washing whose back and what he gets in return.
I guess I just listen to Howie Carr too much.. All those hacks, kick backs, fraud and institutionalized thievery combined with my LE background just fogs my rose colored glasses.....

 

[NO2]

Michigan has the best craft beer in the country, the cheapest legal pot, and the worst roads. Rather than going to the bar, having too many shots, and driving drunk, Michigan drivers enjoy their bar time savoring exquisite (and sometimes bizarrely flavored) brews. Those who smoke drive very, very slowly. And with the pot hole/ sq mile the highest in the country, plus the random and often unexpected appearance of said potholes and glare ice, Michigan drivers tend to be a lot more cautious too. An aging population also contributes to the general slowness. In my town driving 5-10 under is not uncommon, and makes many of us crazy with frustration (and habitually late).

 

[Traction]

Just think, if everyone could learn to drive a car perfectly with skill, understood their car, and the conditions, we wouldn't even need insurance.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by Driz
Of course you always must ask that question WHO BENEFITS. Just as likely which dirty politician is washing whose back and what he gets in return.

All the politicians that constitute the insurance company lobby, since these insurance giants benefit greatly from the hefty premiums that they get to charge in MI. There have been a lot of initiatives and bills over the years to have the insurance laws in MI changed. None of them adopted.

 

[E365]

Another, similar "study" with vastly different results.

https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/...-government-data-from-best-to-worst.html

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted by E365
Another, similar "study" with vastly different results.
https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/...-government-data-from-best-to-worst.html

This is a much more realistic study. In this one, Texas ranks 48th, in the other one Texas ranks something like 5th. I live in Texas and I have driven all over the country. Texas has by far the worst drivers IMO, and Louisiana is right there on the bottom with Texas. Arizona's drivers are better IMO. I have not driven in Montana so I can't comment on how bad their drivers are.
For years, Texas didn't require new drivers to take a road test before getting their drivers license, and it shows. Also, since we have had a large influx of drivers moving here from other states that DO know how to drive, mixed with Texans that don't know how to drive, we have a volatile and dangerous mixture of drivers on our roads.

 

[supton]

My brother learned to drive in Maine but wound up living and working in Mass as a medical delivery driver for several years. Then relocated to Texas. Then came up to CT for a few months for work. He told me that the drivers were just as bad here and there--but the difference was, in CT&MA, if someone cut you off, it's because they knew they had 6" to spare. Down there, they didn't know you were there.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted by mclasser
I used to live in the DMV area. I made sure to steer clear of any car with MD plates. That area was full of crappy drivers but MD plates were particularly reckless.

I once had a Virginian coworker who constantly ragged on MD drivers. I drove to Manassas on a summer Saturday morning for a shoot and after crossing the line passed 3 vehicles on their backs. There was a little fog that morning, that was all. He heard all about it the following Monday.

 

[bbhero]

I always took joy in seeing the MD driver's pulled over on Rte 17 in my home county... They go about 70 mph plus and in the northern end of the county... 55 mph zone open highway.. And The law was waiting. State troopers typically. I'd be going 62-63 mph. Has would everyone else local would do. Knowing state troopers were waiting up north. Sure enough MD driver pulled over. I'd laugh every time. And trust me this phenomenon happened in Middlesex county and Essex county has well north of my county. In other words... Pay attention to local traffic pattern. There's a reason why everyone else ain't driving 70 to 80 mph on that open highway 4 lane road in the country.

 

[rubberchicken]

Rt 17 has a high proportion of cops. My buddy warned me about it before our yearly vacation to Nags Head, so I was prepared. MD rt 50 on the Eastern Shore is the same way, especially around Kent Island.

 

[bbhero]

Yeah true indeed.... Those 3 counties and they are there waiting... My friend state trooper George told me he didn't pull anyone over unless they were going 70 mph in a 55 mph zone in northern Gloucester county. Which I think is quite fair actually. You going 16 mph ove posted speed limit... You have earned a ticket...

And I bet you know this has well.... Interstate 295 in Hopewell area is WELL known for having local police pulling people in that city's limits on I 295... But again... If one is going 81 mph in a 70 mph zone... You kind of earned a ticket there. Plus over 80 mph anywhere in VA is technically reckless driving...

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted by BigD1
They get a lot of practice at dodging pot holes.

Back 15 years ago or so, I use to haul automotive out of Detroit and Windsor to Laredo, TX. Some of those side roads were the roughest I have ever been across.


A few years ago I took one of my Corvette racing wheels to a shop in Metro Detroit for straightening. They had a t-shirt for sale that said:

"No officer, I am not driving drunk. I 'm dodging potholes."

I was so happy this year when my town blocked off for repaving a street that I take to get to the local grocery store. It was the roughest street that I knew of, and couldn't believe it took them 4 years to get to it. I never actually drove in the proper lane on that street, just kind of split between the travel lanes and center turning lane. Now that the repaving is completed, I take it all the time. Previously I would avoid it if I could get to my destination on smoother streets. But it was just one of many that needed to be repaved. My town does some streets during construction season, and once they get done with all of them after years and years, it will be time to start over again.

I could go on for hours about Michigan roads. I go all over the country, and think they are the worst. Wisconsin runs a close second. They have the galloping concrete road down to a fine science. They repaved I-90 in the southern 50 miles of the state last year, and managed to build the galloping waviness into it right from the start. Doesn't anybody know how to level concrete anymore?

 

[Kestas]

My pet peeve is how they tar over potholed cement roads around here. In a year or so the tar starts potholing worse than the road they fixed.

Other northern states don't have this problem. Road maintenance is horribly mismanaged in Michigan.

 

[mjk]

MN #6. Please give more Somalis drivers licenses....(insert sarcasm).

 

[HangFire]

Historically road work has been a favorite source of income for both crooked politicians and bribing contractors. It's the gift that keeps on giving, do a poor job and voters demand more money spent on the same.

 

[bbhero]

^^^^^^

A lot of truth here... There are some exceptions but not many. .

One stretch of interstate 64 in the Newport News area that was laid down concrete is still perfect 23 years later... Then you have sections of interstate 295 that we're concrete that were jacked up after less than 10 years causing rework to be done...

 

[rubberchicken]

Its probably the quality of the work, and the quality of the concrete. The street for my neighborhood had some major patches cut out and replaced last year. I talked to some of the workers and they were doing a very careful job, and it showed. But on the very last day there was a hailstorm, and a storm warning before that, and the crews started rushing to finish the job. What had been quality work ended up as the worst paving job I have even seen. My tax dollars at work.

 

[rubberchicken]

Originally Posted by bbhero
Yeah true indeed.... Those 3 counties and they are there waiting... My friend state trooper George told me he didn't pull anyone over unless they were going 70 mph in a 55 mph zone in northern Gloucester county. Which I think is quite fair actually. You going 16 mph ove posted speed limit... You have earned a ticket...

And I bet you know this has well.... Interstate 295 in Hopewell area is WELL known for having local police pulling people in that city's limits on I 295... But again... If one is going 81 mph in a 70 mph zone... You kind of earned a ticket there. Plus over 80 mph anywhere in VA is technically reckless driving...


The only time I am on 295 around Richmond is usually a Saturday morning, going south. I rarely see a cop and everybody is going 80. Virginia loves to rag on Maryland drivers, and Maryland loves to put down Virginia drivers. I think we can all agree that DC drivers universally stink when they are out on the open highway- they are not used to going over 50 mph, so they usually go too slow.

 

[bbhero]

I will say you are generally right about them not being out there at night.... But. . I have seen them out there 2 times at night ... Which equals very very seldom. But daggone if they weren't out there... One time one of them was to left of the far left lane around a curve headed north bound 295 there in Hopewell.. Stupid in my opinion. That guy waiting to get hit from behind. But running radar is just that necessary I guess at 3 am... Just keep to 78 mph and you will be good to go sir.