Wisconsin Drivers Are Among the Rudest on the Road, According to Study
It doesn’t take much time on American roads to know there are less-than-ideal drivers that share the pavement with us. But could it be that some states have a higher concentration of rude drivers than others?
According to an Insurify study, the answer is yes. And, unfortunately for some, Wisconsin is among them.
Find out if the states you think have the rudest drivers align with the cold, hard facts of Insurify’s data.
Measuring Rudeness
To determine the states with the rudest drivers, Insurify combed through data in its 4.6+ million insurance applications in 2022.
They pulled key statistics that they associate with rude driving, including people who have one or more of the following violations on record:
- Failure to yield
- Failure to stop
- Improper backing
- Passing where prohibited
- Tailgating
- Street racing
- Hit-and-run
For reference, 1.68% of American drivers have a record of one of these rude driving behaviors. Of them, failure to stop at a stop sign, failure to stop at a red light, and failure to yield to another driver are the most common violations.
That said, Insurify notes that the ten states with the rudest drivers have rude driving infractions at a rate of around 1.6 times the national average.
With that in mind, these are the worst states when it comes to rude drivers, starting with the very worst state.
1: Idaho
- Share of drivers cited for rude behavior: 3.44% (51% greater than the national average)
- Most common rude citation: Failure to stop at a stop sign (81% greater than the national average)
2: Alaska
- Share of drivers cited for rude behavior: 2.99% (44% greater than the national average)
- Most common rude citation: Failure to stop at a red light (172% greater than the national average)
3: Wisconsin
- Share of drivers cited for rude behavior: 2.95% (43% greater than the national average)
- Most common rude citation: Failure to stop at a stop sign (89% greater than the national average)
4: Virginia
- Share of drivers cited for rude behavior: 2.82% (40% greater than the national average)
- Most common rude citation: Failure to stop at a stop sign (45% greater than the national average)
5: Ohio
- Share of drivers cited for rude behavior: 2.68% (37% greater than the national average)
- Most common rude citation: Failure to stop at a stop sign (75% greater than the national average)
6: Nebraska
- Share of drivers cited for rude behavior: 2.61% (36% greater than the national average)
- Most common rude citation: Failure to stop at a stop sign (47% greater than the national average)
7: Georgia
- Share of drivers cited for rude behavior: 2.56% (34% greater than the national average)
- Most common rude citation: Failure to stop at a stop sign (48% greater than the national average)
8: Wyoming
- Share of drivers cited for rude behavior: 2.52% (33% greater than the national average)
- Most common rude citation: Failure to stop at a stop sign (65% greater than the national average)
9: Montana
- Share of drivers cited for rude behavior: 2.38% (29% greater than the national average)
- Most common rude citation: Failure to stop at a stop sign (68% greater than the national average)
10: North Dakota
- Share of drivers cited for rude behavior: 2.31% (27% greater than the national average)
- Most common rude citation: Failure to stop at a stop sign (136% greater than the national average)
States With the Most Courteous Drivers
Did your state scrape by without being on this list? With the exception of Georgia, if you live in the South, you were pretty much clear all along.
Four Southern states ranked in the top ten most courteous drivers, and many Southern states ranked near the top ten. Kentucky has the fewest rude drivers in the nation, with a rude driving rate of only 0.67%.
Perhaps you should make the Bluegrass State the next place you road trip through?
Stop Sign Conundrum
Based on Insurify’s data, Americans clearly have an issue with stopping at stop signs.
While you’ll be hard-pressed to meet a driver who’s never made a rolling stop, many of us don’t think about the severe consequences that can come by not abiding by what can sometimes seem like a nuisance sign.
According to statistics from the Texas Department of Transportation, 42,000 stop sign-related accidents occurred in the Lone Star State in 2019.
Among them, 13,422 happened because drivers ran through or disregarded a stop sign or stop light.
Some of the most common reasons drivers fail to stop at a stop sign include speeding, being in a rush to get somewhere, stop sign obstruction, distracted driving, and fatigued or drunk driving.
Road Rage Problems
Many of the factors that Insurify studied for rude drivers can be placed under the road range umbrella, assuming negative emotions like frustration and anger run high.
WebMD even goes as far as to say that road rage has happened to all drivers at least once.
Experts recommend that to reduce the chances of road rage when driving, one should get a good night’s sleep, leave earlier for their destination, and play soothing music.
On the flip side, if someone is trying to pick a fight with you on the road, keep a low profile and do your best to get out of their way.
Don’t make eye contact with the driver, don’t return any gestures they might be throwing your way, and change lanes if someone is tailgating you.
