Did they mention how many of those crashes were into buildings?
2012-08-29 15:46:18
12
PGH drivers are 33% more likely to get into a car wreck than the nat'l average
Yikes!
well, at least it's some ammo for the Post-Gazette comments section.
The average time between wrecks for Pittsburgh drivers is 7.5 years, according to Allstate. In last year's list, Pittsburgh was 152 with a 26.9 percent higher likelihood of a wreck and one every 7.9 years.
Worse than that is Philadelphia, which ranks 190 out of 200 with a crash rate 64.1 percent higher than the national average. That works out to a wreck every 6.1 years
2012-08-29 14:24:05
LMFAO — funny... well not funny... but all these people crashing into buildings...
Anway,
I wonder if Pittsburgh's streets are on average 33% narrower than the national average?
2012-08-29 15:52:40
I wonder if Pittsburgh's streets are on average 33% narrower than the national average?
If not that, I'd say Pittsburgh's intersections are on average 33% more confusing. Stop except right turn? What the hell is that? Yielding to the traffic in the lane you are crossing should be a given, I don't know why the extra sign is needed to confuse everyone.
Also, the intersection at Beechwood and Dallas. Who dreamt up that thing? And the new intersection/ramp on 28 @ the 40th St bridge is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
2012-08-29 16:30:45
This is a Business Times story, and I don't see them having an opinions section at the end. Even if they did, that would be a different audience (educated? employed?) from the daily papers.
We'll have to see what the PG or Trib's readers have to say once the story hits there, too, assuming they print it.
2012-08-29 16:36:32
I'd think narrow streets and confusing intersections might slow drivers down, reducing crashes. On the other hand, we've got an older population than most.
But the fact that Philadelphia's so high on the list too makes me think state policies are a big factor. Maybe some state-wide ways we're different from others, like limits on radar? Is our drivers' ed notably worse than other places?
2012-08-29 18:12:16
I always suspected drivers here were less competent than average. Now I have quantitative proof!
2012-08-29 22:47:42
Or that our driver licensing requirements are too lenient.
2012-08-30 02:07:17
I wonder if the number of people driving without licenses and/or insurance are even included in this survey
2012-08-30 13:37:33
The tradtion in Pittsburgh is that drivers are polite to other drivers and righteously try to kill pedestrians and bikers.
Our poor results might be more about street conditions -mostly hills but craters and bizarre intersections, too-than driver asshattery.
Accidents on, say, dirty dozen hills are serious even at lawful speeds.
2012-08-30 15:02:36
I think, hills, freezing rains contribute to this statistics. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6249iHSJsKo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3PeuC6ltDE
BTW Off topic but I like comment to this video:
Yes, this was South Park. I'm going to start taking videos of people running stop signs in South Park as well. The rate of running stop signs is about 75%, and people get angry at you when you come to a complete stop. It's no surprise? when they are in such a hurry that they'll drive through your grass...
billsucevic 2 years ago
2012-08-30 15:14:36
See, I was kind of surprised the city fared so well. We're the 22nd largest metro area, our roads are confounding, residents rarely leave their sector (increasing the likelihood of danger when they do), we like dangerous s-bends in our interstates (especially ones leading into tunnels), we're the largest tourist destination in the state, and our local roads are full of hills, potholes and many were never designed to have cars on em. Pittsburgh drivers are probably doing the best they can.
It's much harder to drive while talking on the phone and eating than it is in a newer city like Virginia Beach or Washington DC. And look how band DC did.
2012-08-30 15:59:04