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WHAT'S AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE DRIVING FRUSTRATION? SLOW DRIVERS



Motor Trend Poll Finds Top Five Sources of Irritation on the Road



El Segundo, Calif. (May 25, 2011) – Despite gas prices garnering the lion's share of news coverage lately, something altogether different is a major source of frustration for the American driver these days. Motor Trend, the world's automotive authority on cars, trucks and SUVs, recently completed a poll to determine the top-five sources of irritation for drivers. Topping the list was being stuck behind slow drivers, with more than forty percent of the respondents in this latest poll citing this as their chief annoyance.



In fact, Motor Trend found almost 90 percent of those polled reacted against the offending driver in some way; with 13 percent reporting that it moves them to varying degrees of frustration and even anger. One participant wrote, "It makes me want to tear their license plates off!"



Motor Trend polled readers nationally via its Wide Open Throttle Blog, and its Facebook and Twitter accounts to gather the data. The poll also clearly indicated many drivers feel there is a general lack of awareness of other drivers, among their counterparts.



Rounding out the top-five list, Motor Trend readers reported in descending order, the most aggravating habits of other motorists as:



1. Being stuck behind slow drivers – 43.5%

2. Inattentive drivers texting and talking on cell phones – 23.2%

3. Drivers that do not use turn signals – 16.1%

4. Aggressive drivers cutting through traffic – 10%

5. Drivers who refuse to turn right on red – 7.2%



"What we have here is a glimpse of the frustrations experienced by drivers who take driving seriously," said Motor Trend editor-in-chief Angus MacKenzie. "It's clear many drivers are thinking about almost anything other than driving when they are behind the wheel, to the irritation of others on the road. Poor situational awareness and a lack of concentration are probably the real cause of the majority of road crashes today."



Motor Trend invites people to join the conversation and submit their own list of driving pet peeves on Motor Trend's Wide Open Throttle blog at http://wot.motortrend.com and on the Motor Trend Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/motortrendmag. Become a fan of Motor Trend on Facebook to voice your opinion and follow all the latest developments at the world's automotive authority.