Road Rage at it's finest!
If it’s been close to six years since your last auto accident, we’ve got bad news. You’re due.
According to a new report by Allstate, Philadephia drivers are 64.1 percent more likely to get into a collision compared to the national average and the average driver in Philadelphia will experience an auto collision every 6.1 years.
As it turns out, those numbers are the worst in the nation, making us among the worst drivers in America.
Allstate studied the accident patterns of the 200 largest cities in America and Philly fell into position at number 190 sneaking in after New York City (176th) and slightly ahead of three other northeastern cities - Providence, R.I., (193th) Baltimore, Md., (194th) and Washington, D.C. (195th).
So, let’s go back to driver’s ed for a second, shall we? Here are some helpful tips via Trip Advisor.
- Did you know that you are supposed to stop in BOTH directions for any school bus with flashing lights?
- At an intersection where all directions have a stop sign (“4-way stop”), drivers proceed in the order in which they have arrived. If there is a tie, the vehicle on your right has right of way; or the driver traveling straight if someone is turning on a head-on approach. Remember, to actually bring your vehicle to a brief-but-complete halt for a few seconds at every stop sign.
- In most states, when there are emergency vehicles of any kind on the side of the road, drivers must change lanes away – or – slow down markedly. Emergency vehicles may include law enforcement, fire, or even tow trucks depending upon the state.
- A lower speed limit (often 20 mph) is strictly enforced near schools when there are signs that indicate when and at what hours this is the case. Watch for kids, because they are everywhere and unpredictible Even away from school zones, go slowly (25 mph) in neighborhoods, and keep an eye open particularly in the morning (6-9:30 a.m.) and later in the afternoon (2:30-3:30 p.m.) Generally these are the times of day when children are going to school or leaving it to return home.
- The legal highway speed limit is posted on a sign and typically ranges from 55-75 miles per hour. However, you will probably find that most people are exceeding the speed limit by 5 to 10 miles per hour. If you are driving with the speed of traffic, you generally won’t be ticketed. Generally, on roadways in the USA the leftmost lanes are considered to be the “fast” lanes and the rightmost lanes are considered to be the “slow” lanes; therefore, if you are on a multi-lane highway and find the traffic is passing you frequently on the right, you should probably move over a lane or two so as not to hold up traffic.
- Cars are not allowed to drive in a bike lane, although parking within a bike lane is permitted in some areas.
- You must stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk. Crosswalks are implied at four-way intersections. In most states, you must stop for any pedestrian who steps out anywhere in the road. Although this rule is often ignored by drivers, be on the lookout or you could face manslaughter charges.
- Making right turns on red signals after stopping (and ensuring the path is clear of pedestrians and oncoming traffic) is allowed in most states, unless there is a specific restriction posted at the intersection or the traffic lights show a red arrow in place of the standard red light.
- Exert great caution if you find yourself in a situation with an angry, “kooky” driver. If someone is tailgaiting you, just let them pass. DO NOT purposely slow up, then go fast, then slow up again, to annoy them. Let them in, if they need to get in. Otherwise, you may incite an incident of “road rage” — which isn’t safe for you, anyone in your car, or anyone around.
Or just give ‘em the finger and carry on about your day.
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