Relief In Sight From Left-Lane Slow Pokes

This is a huge pet peeve of mine, and I bet for you, too:  those pesky drivers who get in the left lane and then stay below the speed limit, leaving you nowhere to go to get around them.

Luckily, relief could be on the way.  A member of the Florida legislature, Representative Jenna Persons – Mulicka, a Republican from Fort Myers, has introduced a bill that would allow police to more easily issue tickets.  Right now, you only have to move over if you know a faster driver is behind you.  The new law, House Bill 421, if it passes, would forbid vehicles from being   in the left lane for any reason other than passing another vehicle in the right lane.

The benefits are obvious.  There would less road rage, less traffic congestion, and less stress about arriving on time.  The new law would not affect carpool lanes, and would only apply to roads where the speed limit is at least 65mph.  But, hey - it's a start!

Source: Miami Herald 

That sounded better than three of the top four cities in America with the worst drivers are in Florida. Still, it's not a good statement regarding safety on Florida's roads.

In a project from clevermove.com, a list of the U.S. cities with the worst drivers was put together.

They looked at the details that includes: number of traffic fatalities, alcohol-related fatalities, number days of rain/snow each year and how many insured drivers there are in the state. Fun statisticians looked at the data, and the list was put together.

Floridians, hold on tightly to that "oh, @#$! bar" in the car when you see this.

When it came to the top 50 cities that were measured, the #1 on the 'best drivers' end of the list was: New York City.

Grab that bar tighter... this one may sting. Here are the cities from Florida that made the list and where they landed (out of 50 cities):

Miami has the fifth FEWEST DUI deaths. However, Miami has among the highest number of rainy days in the country of the cities on the list. Insurance premiums are the highest in the Florida cities on the list, at $3,938, compared to the national average of $2,230.

Tampa has among the highest insurance premiums, at $3,459, compared to a national average of $2,230. Tampa also has the 5th most traffic fatalities.

Being in Florida means more than the average rainfall, 10th most in the country,. Orlando also shares the uninsured rate with other cities in the state of Florida at 20.4%. Tourists from around the world fill the streets with people unfamiliar with the area.

Not a list where you want to be #1. Jacksonville was 3rd in fatalities and #1 in most DUI deaths. Nationally, the uninsured rate is 13.2%. In Jacksonville, it's 20.40%.

Surprisingly, when asked in a poll, the worst city with the worst drivers was Los Angeles. When you go by the actual stats used, they were among the top 10 best drivers. Strangely enough, the same survey of 1,000 Americans has Los Angeles as the city for the worst drivers as well.