OKC, Tulsa one of the most dangerous places to drive

[adaniel]

Ouch!

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/15-dange...r-driving.html

[Jesseda]

thats not a shocker..I see how you okies drive

[Architect2010]

Might have to do with our tendency to DRIVE everywhere, that leads us to be on this list. This is really no different to me than a list of America's worst mass-transit systems; showing that cities with dependencies on cars are OBVIOUSLY going to have a higher percentage of pedestrian/vehicular accidents. Doesn't mean it's necessarily dangerous to drive here, if anything, this list just solidifies why people don't walk in auto-centric communities such as ours.

[earlywinegareth]

Doesn't help matters that we have a lot of misinformed bicyclists and runners who think they can ride or run IN the road as well as SIDE BY SIDE. Happens all the time on major arteries, not just side streets.

[OKCisOK4me]

All of those cities are primarily in the Southeast/South Central US which leads me to believe that there are certain criteria that could lead to those statistics. There are the peeps that drive either practically new or recently used cars that also have insurance cause they're responsible for their vehicle and their driving actions. Then there's their kids who have been learning how to drive. My sister got into a wreck 2 weeks after getting her drivers license. I don't think I got in my first one until 4 years afterward and it was totally random. Then you have rednecks and illegal aliens who don't or can't afford insurance. Now, I'm not saying that that doesn't mean that they're not responsible, but most people that drive a beater could care less about car insurance, or the way they drive and the safety of others around them. Another thing that helps probably has to do with weather involving moisture. People here can't drive for crap in rain, let alone on ice or in snow. People here should be required to go north and learn how to properly do so before being allowed to do so here. So, to recap, drivers that don't give a darn, first time drivers, and liquid content falling from sky. That's your stats right there.

Oh, and I forgot liquid content spilling down throats due to he/she'nanagins!

[CuatrodeMayo]

Doesn't help matters that we have a lot of misinformed bicyclists and runners who think they can ride or run IN the road as well as SIDE BY SIDE. Happens all the time on major arteries, not just side streets.

Speaking of misinformed...

[Snowman]

Speaking of misinformed...

While their are issues with his statement, their are a lot of people who bike like they have no idea how state/city regulations imply they should on city streets and highways. I don't think I have seen anyone running in the road yet (excluding marathons).

[Larry OKC]

Doesn't help matters that we have a lot of misinformed bicyclists and runners who think they can ride or run IN the road as well as SIDE BY SIDE. Happens all the time on major arteries, not just side streets.

While i agree with the runner part, the bicyclists have just as much 'right" to be "in the road". Now if you are talking about NW Expressway or something like that, that is another matter. The City has been running an informative "rules of the road" with all of the ins/out for safer bicycling. There is plenty of blame to go around on it as many motorists are misinformed too.

[Brett]

This is a bogus report. How can Lubbock be listed and not Dallas or Houston?

[EBAH]

I don't KNOW that this is full of crap. But, it really seems like it's full of crap.

[adaniel]

As someone who is not from here I don't think its full of crap. Dallas and Houston may have more aggressive drivers but this particular survey is based off of number of fatalities.

I will defend just about everything OK and OKC but when it comes to drivers/roads they are simply not that good here. The drivers here, while courteous than most, can be downright reckless. Passing on shoulders, stopping on on ramps (!!), turning right from left lane (and vice versa) seem to be this area's bad habits. If you go up to Tulsa you can add these plus straight up blinding road rage to that list.

If one ever left Oklahoma you would realize just how poor the roads are here. Not in just condition, although that is true as well, but design as well. Way too many short on-off ramps, cloverleafs that were outdated in the 1980's, very few dedicated turn lanes on some of the busier arterial streets. And don't even get me started on the outrageous amount of road debris that are on the highways.

It seems like on new roads we were making progress, however ODOT's budget has since been gutted so that will probably stop soon. Until voters in this state start holding their politicians accountable I fear that we will slump back to having the worst roads in the nation. I cannot be the only one who is embarrassed to go to states that are either much smaller or much poorer economically and yet their roads blow away ours.

[RadicalModerate]

As sorry as a vast number of "drivers" are here in OKC and Tulsa (and apparently getting worse all the time) I have to say that, in my experience, Dallas and Minneapolis drivers are far worse. Maybe they are just luckier in terms of not generating accident statistics--their driving still sucks.

However--even with their BRUTAL winters--the roads everywhere in Minnesota are FAR superior.
(With the obvious exception of that old I-35 bridge, of course).

[Steve]

There's some truth to this, but as with many of these lists, it doesn't give all the contributing factors. Way back in my cop beat days I used to write about this. And something that must be weighed is that Oklahoma City is at a MAJOR crossing of three cross country interstates - I-40, I-44 and I-35. The other factor is the amount of lane miles that comes with the huge sprawl (622 square miles). But it's also no secret that our city's roads are designed to make life for pedestrians and bicyclists a deadly mix with vehicular traffic.
This is yet another example of why I HATE these internet lists. They rarely give the full story, and are created to generate traffic to web sites.

[the michigander]

I'm sorry as a person who has just relocated here from michigan I can tell u it really not about how good or bad your roads are people down here just can't drive. U can be backed up on the highway u think its a accident but no its people trying to merge. Or if its a accident for real instead of just driving thru people are being nosy slowing down and causing more accidents. This is a reason driving is bad down here.

[Steve]

Can't argue that - the rubber necking here is horrible.

[Larry OKC]

Ran across an traffic report incident several years ago now. It was a collision involving the only two registered cars in the entire state. LOL

[earlywinegareth]

The last two times I've had to pull over for an emergency vehicle, there was someone else who either didn't hear the siren or didn't know to move over. CRAZY. I truly think the human species is de-evolving.

[SkyWestOKC]

I concur with the mass here not knowing how to drive. Every day someone pulls out in front of me to get in my lane forcing me to have to slam on my brakes or change lanes rapidly to prevent a collision. Rubber-necking, driving slow, not merging, not yielding....not watching the stop-sign sequence....it's everything.

[workman45]

I concur with the mass here not knowing how to drive. Every day someone pulls out in front of me to get in my lane forcing me to have to slam on my brakes or change lanes rapidly to prevent a collision. Rubber-necking, driving slow, not merging, not yielding....not watching the stop-sign sequence....it's everything.

Hate to say it, but I have to agree.

[SkyWestOKC]

Let me add my favorite, getting on the interstate at 40mph when the rest of the traffic is going 65-75mph...oblivious to the panic to slow down or change lanes behind them.

[workman45]

Let me add my favorite, getting on the interstate at 40mph when the rest of the traffic is going 65-75mph...oblivious to the panic to slow down or change lanes behind them.

+1

[Larry OKC]

After living and traveling in many different states and cities, can't say drivers overall are any worse here than elsewhere. Some elements may be better or worse. Same with stupid laws on the books. Same with stupid officials and/or corruption in government etc. Trading one set of problems for another wherever you go. Just have to make sure you are doing what you can to make things better, keeping them honest, change the laws, try to protect yourself from the actions of others.

[Celebrator]

I have to agree with Larry OKC here, I don't find the drivers here worse than other places and I, too, have lived and traveled in lots of places across the country. The worst I have seen was in Orlando,FL...where I lived before I lived here...unbelievable road rage there. I actually got passed while sitting at a stop sign in a nice suburb! I was sitting at the stop sign, the car behind me stops for like two seconds and then speeds around me! I had never seen that before. But in general, I found those that lived down there to be very angry/unhappy people.

[RadicalModerate]

I concur with the mass here not knowing how to drive. Every day someone pulls out in front of me to get in my lane forcing me to have to slam on my brakes or change lanes rapidly to prevent a collision. Rubber-necking, driving slow, not merging, not yielding....not watching the stop-sign sequence....it's everything.

This is exactly why--for several years--I have dreamed of owning a vehicle equipped like something out of "Road Warrior" that would obviate the need to brake for idiots. Or even the need for brakes. =)

I just have to interject here that if Law Enforcement would take cellphone use in traffic/thumping bass sound systems (accident causation) as seriously as they take seat belt usage (accident survivability) the numbers would probably show a marked improvement. This is one of the very few things of which I am absolutely certain.

[ljbab728]

I just have to interject here that if Law Enforcement would take cellphone use in traffic/thumping bass sound systems (accident causation) as seriously as they take seat belt usage (accident survivability) the numbers would probably show a marked improvement. This is one of the very few things of which I am absolutely certain.

Radical, the difference is that, even if it shouldn't be, cell phone use while driving is quite legal in Oklahoma. There isn't much law enforcement can do about that. Talk to the legislature.