SEATTLE — Drivers across the Northwest are becoming less courteous, according to a poll from PEMCO insurance.
Drivers are seeing less polite gestures like yielding, waving, signaling, or letting someone pass.
The poll showed that drivers are actually seeing more rude gestures on the road today compared to 2015.
The average number of polite gestures per month went from 6.9 in 2015 to 5.7 in 2023.
In Seattle, 53% of drivers saw a nice gesture in 2018, but only 40% said they saw kindness at least five times per month in 2023.
“We’re all busy getting to where we need to go, but we hope our poll shines a light on an opportunity to slow down and show each other some grace on the road. There’s a good chance a simple gesture, like waving when someone lets you in or yielding to let another merge in front of you, will go a long way to brighten someone’s day,” said PEMCO spokesperson Allison Leep.
The poll also found that aggressive driving is on the rise.
Over half of Northwest drivers said they keep their cool, but 42% said they saw an act of aggression from another driver at least 10 times per month.
In Seattle, in 2015, 35% of drivers said they saw 10 or more aggressive acts like speeding, tailgating, and erratic maneuvers. Today, 43% of drivers saw aggressiveness.
Seattle parents admitted to driving aggressively more frequently than those without kids.
17% of drivers with kids said they were aggressive more than 10 times per month, while only 2% of drivers without kids admitted aggressiveness.
That means parents were almost three times as aggressive.
“When we talk about places known for aggressive drivers, the Pacific Northwest doesn’t often come to mind for many of us, so we’ll be interested to continue tracking these attitudes over time,” said Leep. “While we all have room to improve, at PEMCO, we always champion safety above all else. By driving defensively rather than offensively we can ensure each other’s safety.”