Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I get the impression that Bay Staters view the state of Rhode Island as the redheaded stepchild of New England. Perhaps it’s because of its size – the smallest state in the country – or because aside from the coastline there’s little else happening within its 1,214 square miles. But Massachusetts, in some respects, looks down upon The Ocean State. According to a new driving study, Massachusetts drivers hate Rhode Island drivers more than those from any other state.
The study also suggests that Massachusetts drivers are the 5th rudest in the country, which is likely to surprise nobody. Sure, we get a bit of a bad rap having been branded ‘Massholes’ but it’s important to note that the study, conducted by independent insurance website Insure.com, is not about how well people drive. It’s about how aggressive people behind the wheel can become. And perhaps that’s something we take pride in here.
“While other states may try to deny or downplay their rudeness,” wrote Insure.com, “Massachusetts drivers embrace it.”
Insure.com surveyed 2,000 drivers nationwide, half men and half women, from all areas of the country “according to Census population data,” notes Insure.com, including Washington D.C.. Rankings were determined by calculating a ratio of nationwide votes for drivers of the state, then divided by the number of respondents from each state.
The data also shows which states hate drivers from other states.
Massachusetts drivers hate Rhode Island drivers, and perhaps also to nobody’s astonishment, New Hampshire drivers hate Massachusetts drivers the most.
“Massachusetts has the rudest drivers I have ever encountered,” said Judy Crockett, who owns a Michigan-based marketing and communication firm and frequently travels to Massachusetts, in the survey. “I rode in the car with one of my clients, and she never stopped shaking her fist at other drivers, spewing insults and profanities, tailgating and rushing lights. It was as if she owned the road, and other drivers were trespassing and in her way.”
Rounding out the top five of rudest drivers is Wyoming at number four, New York at three, Washington D.C. at two, and Idaho and one.
Interestingly California drivers appear to be spiteful, showing up nine times in the “Most hated by drivers from” other states section. Apparently those from the Golden State abhor drivers in New York, Vermont, Nevada, Utah, Arkansas, Colorado, Texas, Arizona and Oregon. But one has to wonder how often California drivers encounter those from the likes of New York, Vermont and Arkansas.
The least rude states, indicates the data, are North Dakota, neighboring Maine and New Hampshire, Montana and Minnesota.
