Driving habits by state
 

Like many other americans I spent this labor day weekend on the road. This got me to thinking about the quirks that drivers from certain states have. A few caveats, these are all generalizations and not all drivers from a certain state drive like this. Also, these are my opinions, feel free to add, subtract, or change anything I have listed here. Here is my list (and yes I am a midwestern boy).

Alabama: The freeway is for driving, not parking.
Arizona: the roadways are evidently a great place for elderly retirees to have strokes. At least, I assume that's why they spontaneously veer across lanes and routinely drive at least 15 MPH below the limit.
California: If the choice is everyone can drive 30 MPH or everyone can drive 15 MPH but they can pass two people they will choose the latter.
Did that Harley just pass me in-between lanes?
Florida: Cars driving side by side 5 miles below the speed limit while blocking both lanes.
Illinois: Complete and total disregard for the speed limit.
Indiana: Loves to weave through traffic.
Maryland: The white dashed line is a guide for the center of your car, not for lane separation.
Massachusetts: Stop signs are Yield signs. Pedestrians are targets of opportunity. Probably biggest state gap between actual speed limit v. observed speed limit.
Michigan: Two things here actually, one, very little use of the turn signal. Two, loves to drive in the left turn median.
Minnesota: You need to learn this simple rule: on the freeway, the right lane is for driving, the left lane is for passing.
New Jersey: If you waited for a left hand turn signal to turn green, it is your God given right to proceed through the intersection, regardless of when it turns back to red.
New Mexico: Likes to stop at green lights, for some reason.
New York: There are no traffic laws, its absolute chaos, just go fast and try and squeeze in somewhere. Honk, yell profanities, and smoking are a must as you drive.
North Carolina: The automobile comes equipt with a horn for a reason. I understand that too much horn is a bad thing but no horn is wrong in the other direction.
Never, ever turn the lights on when it is raining.
Ohio: Like to get in the passing lane and drive 10 MPH below the speed limit.
Oklahoma: Will not move over to the other lane when a car is going up the on ramp.
Pennsylvania: Yellow means accelerate!
Utah: Conflux of old white people cruising below the speed limit and hicks and truckers hauling ass well over it.
Virginia: Also needs to learn this simple rule: on the freeway, the right lane is for driving, the left lane is for passing.
Washington: The speed limit is the speed limit, at least to the Suburu Outback in the left lane. Great fear of merging.
Wisconsin: Gawkers galore. Have you never seen someone changing a flat tire on the side of the road before?

New Mexico: Likes to stop at green lights, for some reason.

Virginia: Go slow in the far left lanes, and continue to do so even though someone is directly behind you going faster as they should be in THE FAST LANES.

I've only really driven in New Jersey and Philly, so I'm not sure I could point out any quirks we have compared to everyone else. However, for one directed at out of staters from a New Jerseyian perspective.

New Jersey: Before you come here, please learn how to use the damn circle correctly!

Virginia: Also needs to learn this simple rule: on the freeway, the right lane is for driving, the left lane is for passing.
Pennsylvania: Yellow means accelerate!
New Jersey: If you waited for a left hand turn signal to turn green, it is your God given right to proceed through the intersection, regardless of when it turns back to red.

The observations about Illinois and Indiana are spot on (and interchangable IMO). I also think both states do an excellent job of using the passing lanes on the freeway only for passing.

Washington DC: See NJ. When you are in the Traffic Circle, you DO NOT YIELD AS NOTED BY THE DAMN SIGNS EVERYWHERE IN AND AROUND THE CIRCLE!

Washington: The speed limit is the speed limit, at least to the Suburu Outback in the left lane. Great fear of merging.

Massachusetts: Stop signs are Yield signs. Pedestrians are targets of opportunity. Probably biggest state gap between actual speed limit v. observed speed limit.

California: Did that Harley just pass me in-between lanes?

Utah: Conflux of old white people cruising below the speed limit and hicks and truckers hauling ass well over it.

Illinois: Easiest state to possibly drive off the interstate at night straight into a cornfield at 85 MPH I've ever been to.

I love this post. You are right about the interchangable of Illinois and Indiana but I thought back and I think I saw more speeding in Illinois and more weaving in Indiana. If there is enough ground swell I'll reverse these. I'm adding these and st.cronin's to the list.

California: At least three cars will make a left turn after the light has turned red.

Florida: Cars driving side by side 5 miles below the speed limit while blocking both lanes.

Oklahoma: Will not move over to the other lane when a car is going up the on ramp.

yep, especially here in LA. Also here in LA, I love people who merge without looking into their blindspot while talking on the phone....its makes things interesting.

And holding a lap dog.

New York: There are no traffic laws, its absolute chaos, just go fast and try and squeeze in somewhere. Honk, yell profanities, and smoking are a must as you drive.

:D

how could I have forgotten the lap dog?!.....

This is definitely true. I still haven't figured out what it takes to get a speeding ticket in MA, but I've gone 15 mph over in the presence of cops without thinking about it.

Universal: If your a teenage chick, you must talk on the cell phone and not pay attention. If you feel the need to change lanes, turn your head all the way around to look for a good 5-10 seconds and ignore what the car in front of you is doing.

Maryland: The white dashed line is a guide for the center of your car, not for lane separation.

Mid Atlantic States: If you don't have EZ Pass, stay in the lanes clearly marked "EZ PASS ONLY" when going through toll booths. Then, amidst noticing this lane 2 feet before the toll, attempt to back up and sort of go parallel to the Toll booths in attempt to get to a cash lane, thereby causing more traffic.

So true... I have to drive up 405 every Thursday and I always come up on someone going at least 5 mph under the speed limit, driving in the left lane. It's usually a woman in an SUV or Outback talking on her mobile phone.

Arizona: the roadways are evidently a great place for elderly retirees to have strokes. At least, I assume that's why they spontaneously veer across lanes and routinely drive at least 15 MPH below the limit.

In Minnesota if you are over 65, you must wait at a stop sign until you a sure a car is coming, before you pull out in front of it.

This is so true. There is nothing worse than FINALLY getting through slow accident traffic and then realizing that there never was an accident to cause people to slow down.

Ohio: Like to get in the passing lane and drive 10 MPH below the speed limit.
North Carolina: Never, ever turn the lights on when it is raining.

That was REALLY weird to see on our vacation out there last year. We were in traffic, not horrible, but moving 35 or 40, heading east out of the Bay area. All these motorcycles kept buzzing by, and I'm thinking to myself, these guys are even bigger idiots than most motorcycle drivers. You have to have a serious lack of intelligence to do that without a helmet.

I had that happen to me just last night...except it was a crotch rocket, not a Harley. Still, it scared the bejesus out of me.

I often tell people the first airplane flight I took was from St. Louis to D.C., but the first time I flew was during a cab ride from Broadway to Penn Station. I have rarely been more afraid of my life than I was than I was during that ride. The guy made a right turn across four lanes of traffic and I'm pretty sure at one point we were driving down the sidewalk of a one street going the wrong direction. I have no idea how or why those people do it.

Coincidentally, during that same trip I drove cross country from Kansas City to Connecticut. I didn't mind New Jersey at all, but Pennsylvania was a little nutty -- is there freakin' highway in that state that isn't a toll road? The entire state between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia was one giant toll plaza.

In Los Angeles, turning signals are not features in Lexus', BMW's, and Benz's. (This holds true especially in certain ethnic area's)

Both times I was in Pennsylvania, stop signs were treated as glorified yield signs

Not to mention highly illegal in California

Definitely agree with Illinois- those speed limit signs are for decoration but they seem to drive pretty well, on the whole- just all at 20 mph over the limit

SI

I had a meeting on the far south side of the Chicago metroplex earlier this year. I was running a little late (good thing my rental was a Maxima), and was probably averaging 80 (in 55 zones) in free flow traffic.

I was getting passed more than I passed others.

Texas: You better be going really damn fast or you are in for some tough times on the road.

Pennsylvania (based on the PA drivers on the AC Expressway going to and from AC): The left lane is for driving 10 MPH below the speed limit, act oblivious the the line of traffic behind you.

New York: You are from New York, you can drive however you damn well want and don't need to obey traffic laws, or the laws of physics for that matter.

This is correct.

Never been to Ohio, but quite a few drivers with Ohio tags have ticked me off doing crap like that (like on I-95 going down to FL). Asswhites.