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Most courteous and some of the nation's worst: Can Portland drivers be both?

(The Oregonian)

Apparently, the "Portlandia" episode depicting two painfully polite drivers at a four-way stop in Portland --

– isn't too far from the truth.

According to the 2014 "In The Driver's Seat Road Rage Survey" released by roadside assistance service AutoVantage, Portland drivers are the nation's most courteous drivers.

Just how polite are the city's drivers? Well, Portland motorists are the least likely in the nation to say they honk their horns at other drivers, the survey found. Seattle came in second in that category, but failed to finish in the top 5 cities with the most courteous drivers.

For the survey, commuters in 25 big U.S. cities were asked about a host of driving behaviors related to road rage. This is the second time in five years that Portland has been ranked at the top. AutoVantage last conducted the survey in 2009, when Portland drivers also earned the title of most courteous.

The AuotVantage survey measured behaviors such as speeding, running red lights, driving while talking on a cell phone, cutting between lanes without signaling and honking.

The U.S. cities with the most courteous drivers:

1. Portland

2. Pittsburgh

3. St. Louis

4. San Francisco

5. Charlotte

The cities where drivers are most prone to road rage:

1. Houston

2. Atlanta

3. Baltimore

4. Washington, D.C.

5. Boston

Of course, there's apparently a difference between being a courteous driver and a good driver. Last year, Allstate Insurance's "America's Best Drivers" report found Portland drivers to be among the nation's worst.

Here's a look at what else is "out there" about traffic, transit and transportation in Oregon and from around the globe (no matter what the clock says, it's always the morning commute somewhere):

In Northwest Portland,

Five things to know about this week's Portland area commute.

"This startup wants to make your commute shorter,

What happens when

A deadly commuter trail derailment in New York last year has fueled

Just how dangerous

As the Portland street fee road show continues,

Yeah, this was a bad transit commute.

Watch this real-life Transformer turn into a car and drive

-- Joseph Rose