Philly seems to be mad as hell and taking it out on the roads.
Philadelphia ranks No. 2 on a list of the most aggressive drivers in America, according to a new study.
The survey was done by the fuel-savings app GasBuddy, which has been downloaded more than 70 million times nationwide. Their analysts examined data from an optional feature on the app that analyzes driving habits and suggests how motorists can save fuel.
For the study’s purposes, aggressive driving was defined as speeding, swift acceleration and hard braking. Tens of millions of trips from December to March were analyzed. Hard braking was the most frequently observed “aggressive driving event,” at 67 percent of the total, followed by speeding (25 percent) and acceleration (8 percent).
“Frustration while driving in densely populated cities with high levels of congestion leads motorists to drive more aggressively and with more urgency. Interestingly, these are areas that typically see some of the highest gas prices in their respective states,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
The city taking the top spot was Los Angeles. After Philly, the rest of the top 10 included Sacramento; Atlanta; San Francisco; San Diego; Orlando; Detroit; Austin; and Las Vegas.
In addition to coming in tops overall, Los Angeles and Philly led the pack in hard braking and rapid acceleration. San Diego, Orlando and Detroit took the top 3 spots for speeding.
As for New York City, the provenance of legendarily profane and mercenary cabbies has become a relative land of lotus eaters: It ranked No. 23, just above Kansas City.
Other findings: The most common aggressive driving day is Friday, and the least aggressive is Wednesday. Alaska was the state with the least aggressive drivers, and Minneapolis was the least aggressive big city, coming in 30th.
According to the AAA Traffic Safety Index, 68 percent of drivers nationwide say aggressive driving is a bigger problem than it was three years ago.
But chilling out behind the wheel won’t just make you safer; it’ll also save you money. Aggro driving habits like hard braking and speeding increase gas waste, squandering up to 40 percent of gas mileage and adding up to $477 to your annual fuel bill, GasBuddy said.
“With drivers in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Sacramento and Atlanta being 20 percent more aggressive than the average driver in America, it’s particularly important for commuters and rideshare drivers in these areas to work on shedding their lead foot and relax more to keep money from flying out the window each time they hit the road,” said DeHaan.
The coming months don’t promise drivers much relaxation at the pump.
As of Thursday, the average national gas price was $2.52 a gallon, according to AAA. In Pennsylvania, it was $2.70. Analysts expect that will rise through the summer, thanks to diminishing supply and the industry’s annual switch to summer-blend gasoline, which resists evaporation as temperatures rise. It’s also more expensive to produce.
But some relief might be accessible via the ballot box: In May’s election, Philadelphians will vote whether to create a special class of police officers dedicated to easing traffic congestion. The city council approved the initiative 13-4 on Thursday.
