As anyone braving bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic on Whitemud Drive can likely attest to, the latest Angus Reid poll suggests Albertans are some of the worst drivers in the country.

From multitasking to running red lights, cutting into lanes, turning without signaling and tailgating, Albertans lead the way with bad driving habits, results from Thursday’s poll reveal.

Nationwide, 90 per cent of survey respondents say they have seen a driver talking on a hand-held cell phone while behind the wheel over the course of the past month.

But Alberta topped the national average, with 94 per cent of respondents that witnessed a driver using a cell phone. This, despite a majority of 84 per cent Albertans supporting federal regulation to ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving, the survey reveals.

Only British Columbians, with 95 per cent of respondents, saw a higher rate of cell phone use while driving.

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Albertan drivers and passengers also litter out of their car more than any other province, with 58 per cent of survey respondents witnessing littering over the course of the past month. The national average for littering is 46 per cent.

When it comes to multitasking- like reading, checking an electronic device, applying makeup or eating while on the road- Albertans also prevailed compared to all other provinces. Seventy-six per cent of Albertan respondents witnessed these behaviours from other drivers in the last month, compared to the national average of 65 per cent.

With tailgating, turning without signaling, and cutting into lanes without notice, it seems many Albertans are getting failing grades in those areas as well.

Eighty-two per cent of survey respondents have witnessed tailgating, surpassing the national average of 77 per cent. Eighty-four per cent saw drivers turn without signaling, compared to 82 per cent across Canada. And 82 per cent of Albertan respondents saw drivers cut into another lane without notice, compared to 67 per cent nationwide.

Albertans’ track record doesn’t improve with running red lights, turning where turns aren’t allowed or invading crosswalks when pedesterians are on it.

Seventy-three per cent of survey respondents say they have witnessed a driver running a red light in Alberta, compared to the national average of 59 per cent. Meanwhile, 50 per cent of respondents have seen drivers turn when turning is prohibited, compared to 45 per cent across Canada. Fifty-one per cent of respondents have seen drivers invading crosswalks while people are on it, compared to the national average of 33 per cent.

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When reacting to bad drivers, Albertans’ also seem to lose their cool more than any other province.

Most Albertans, 59 per cent, say they have honked their horn at a bad driver, compared to a national average of 53 per cent. Albertans are also significantly more likely to curse at a bad driver-38 per cent compared to the national average of 29 per cent. Twenty-seven per cent of Albertans have witnessed drivers wave their fist, arms or hands at other drivers, compared to the national average of 20 per cent. Albertans, at 18 per cent, are also more likely to call police to report a bad driver.

Aside from multitasking, running a red light and littering, British Columbia leads Alberta in most bad driving habits.

The poll surveyed 1,001 Canadians from June 28 to June 29, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

