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Pittsburgh Ranked No. 2 In Courteous Drivers Poll

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- We're number two! That's the opinion of a national company that conducted a poll of courteous drivers.

A roadside assistance service called AutoVantage ranks Pittsburgh as having the second most courteous drivers in the nation.

On the South Side, drivers with the right of way graciously pause for the popular "Pittsburgh Left."

A car at an intersection makes room, so a bus can make its turn, as another bus inches closer to the curb for the benefit of riders.

Polite pedestrians hurry across the street, so a patient driver needn't wait.

Pittsburgh has even become a bit more bicycle friendly, according to South Side resident Brian Burns.

"I've lived here for 15 years, and I've never had a problem on a bicycle," he says.

As for road rage?

"I do see, occasionally, people with road rage," says Carol Karas of Brentwood. "But for the most part, there's no road rage that I'm experiencing."

"Except for me," says her daughter, Sarah Karas. "On occasion, I do get a little road rage."

"Mainly, when she's hungry," Carol adds.

So who's number one? Portland, Oregon. But they should place an asterisk next to that.

After all, there's much less opportunity for road rage when you don't have to pass through a tunnel on your way to work.

Rob DiPietro the Group Vice President for AutoVantage joined the KDKA Morning News with Larry Richert and John Shumway to discuss why we are only behind Portland as the most courteous city in the United States.

DiPietro says Pittsburgh is, "third least likely to tailgate other drivers." Another reason is Pittsburghers are, "the second least likely to have drivers curse at one another."

What else makes us such nice drivers? DiPietro says we are, "really good at not cutting other drivers off when switching lanes, without warning at least."

What habits can we work on to become most courteous next year?

DiPietro says we drive too fast, eat and drive at the same time, and we honk our horn at other drivers compared to the drivers of Portland.

Last year, Pittsburgh was voted the fifth most courteous drivers.

The city with the most road rage? Houston, Texas.

Rob DiPietro Explains Why Pittsburgh's Drivers Are Courteous

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