New York City Drivers Become Vicious

New York City is choked with more than eight million people, many of  whom have to drive to work on highways meant to accommodate traffic levels of the 1930s. The bridges and tunnels into Manhattan often have back-ups that push waiting times to an hour or more.

On top of the normal frustration of driving in New York is the added factor that many of the people who are in cars, are heading for job interviews where they are likely to be disappointed

Is it any wonder, then, that New York City drivers are now the most vicious in the US, replacing those in Miami to take the prize? According to Reuters, mounting frustration “gave New Yorkers the prize for angriest, most aggressive drivers who tailgate, speed, honk their horns, overreact and lose their tempers.”

As the taxbase in New York shrinks, to a large extent because of all the high paid investment bankers who are no longer employed, the transportation situation could get worse. The MTA, which runs the subways and other parts of the public system, is nearly out of money and has been forced to announce higher fares. New York City highways and streets are so old that they are under constant repair which creates bottle-necks which cause even more traffic congestion. The city needs more subway tunnels and widened roads, but the shrinking municipal cash balance is likely to make that impossible. Layoffs of NYC workers have already started.

The frustration and violence among New York City drivers may be rising, but it has not even come close to peaking.

Douglas A. McIntyre