A survey asking drivers to rank the states with the rudest drivers found that the worst offenders were from Idaho.
by Staff
September 16, 2014
Graphic via Insure.com.
2 min to read
Graphic via Insure.com.
A survey asking drivers to rank the states with the rudest drivers found that the worst offenders were from Idaho.
According to those surveyed by Insure.com, Idaho's drivers represented a volitile mix of rude, with some drivers moving too slowly, causing other drivers to speed around them agressively and flipping off the slow drivers. Idaho residents said this perfect storm of rude was likely caused by the state's twisting mountain roads being driven by inexperienced drivers, making drivers more familiar with the roads impatient.
Ad Loading...
The survey of 2,000 licensed drivers across the country found Washington, D.C., the second rudest region, with New York coming in third. Wyoming and Massachusetts round out the top 5.
When asked what drives drivers mad about other drivers, talking on a cellphone was number one, with 47% of responses. Tailgating, not signaling turns, weaving in and out of lanes and driving too fast were also top behaviors considered rude.
The survey also tracked where drivers taking the survey were from. The biggest haters in the nation came from California. Californians found drivers from most of the western states to be rude and threw in New York and Vermont for good measure.
Texas drivers were also very vocal in hating Californians and drivers from some of its closest neighbors, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana.
North and South Carolina had a strong rivalry going, with members of each state pointing to each other as the rudest drivers. This is in stark contrast to the more cordial North and South Dakota, who thought that only other states had rude drivers.
Ad Loading...
To cap it all off, nearly half of all drivers surveyed felt that about a quarter of drivers should not be on the road at all. As many as 21% felt that half of other drivers should not be on the road.
The top 10 rudest states in the survey were:
1. Idaho 2. Washington D.C. 3. New York 4. Wyoming 5. Massachusetts 6. Delaware and Vermont (tie) 8. New Jersey 9. Nevada 10. Utah
If you’d like to see where your state ranks, click here.
Distracted driving remains one of the most persistent risks in fleet operations. New approaches focus on removing mobile device use entirely while adding real-time safety support.
As distraction risks evolve, fleets are turning to smarter, more connected technologies to better understand what’s happening behind the wheel. Part 2 explores how these tools are helping identify risky behaviors and improve visibility across operations.
Distracted driving is often measured by what we can see—phones in hand, eyes off the road. But what about the distractions we can’t? A recent incident raises a bigger question about awareness, attention, and why subtle risks so often go unnoticed.
Fleets have more driver data than ever, so why isn't behavior changing? Training requires more than reports and coaching — it requires real-world practice.
A two-part conversation with Stefan Heck on how AI is transforming the fight against distracted driving. As fleets adopt smarter tools, the focus shifts from reacting to preventing risk. In Part 1, we look at where AI is making an impact for fleets today.
An 11% drop in pedestrian fatalities in early 2025 signals progress in U.S. road safety, but elevated death rates and ongoing risks underscore the need for continued action from fleets and policymakers.
