Drivers In Delaware Are Among The Most Courteous In The US

Traffic during the Restore the Corridor project hasn't made driving around Delaware desirable, to say the least.  So, the results of this recent study will probably come as a shock to you.  I know I was surprised to learn this about drivers in Delaware.

Considering how hot it gets there, it's no surprise that Arizona has been named the state with the highest number of “confrontational drivers” on the road.

Forbes Advisor has made the determination after conducting a survey of U.S. motorists. It found that Arizona’s roads are very ugly places, as one in five Arizonans has been forced off the road by another driver at least once. Plus, 56 percent of the state’s motorists say other people routinely block them when they try to change lanes, while 81 percent say they’ve been screamed at, insulted or threatened by other drivers, per the survey. One in three Arizonans say another driver has actually gotten out of his or her vehicle to fight, Forbes found.

In contrast, Delaware has been determined to have the highest number of courteous drivers in the country, according to the study. Only 5 percent say they’ve been forced off the road, 11 percent say they’ve been cut off and just 8 percent say they’ve been confronted by another driver, per the survey.

When it comes to grand theft auto, do criminals have a preference? Statistically, yes they do. But the vehicle topping the list of most stolen vehicles in Delaware was barely at the top of the list, the top 10 are all fairly close in number of thefts.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau releases it’s ‘most stolen‘ stats once a year breaking it down by not only which vehicle is most likely to get stolen – but which year as well. If you think thieves won’t target your pickup because it’s 10 years old, you’d be wrong. In fact, newer cars barely crack the national top 10 list. The most recent data includes all of 2022. And there’s plenty of head scratchers.

On a national level, the number one most stolen vehicle last year was a full size Chevy pickup. 49,903 of those trucks were stolen last year, the most common model year stolen – 2004. Incredibly dependable truck with a lot of them still on the road 19 years after it left the lot. But why 2004?  A guess might be that because of it’s age the truck has a lot less anti-theft technology. And, because trucks are in demand, even with 200,000 miles on it this truck is still worth $7,000 – $10,000.

Another to note on the national list is the Hyundais and Kias. A lot of them were stolen and was documented online on how incredibly easy they were to steal with something as simple as a USB cable. You'll note, these brands are both among the most stolen vehicles in Delaware.

If you want to see the national list, or the top 10 list for another state, you’ll find that here.

The Kia Optima comes in 10th on the list of most stolen vehicles in Delaware. 28 were stolen last year with the most common model year taken being the 2015.

https://www.gmc.com/vans/savana/passenger

Coming in at #9 on the list is the GMC Savana, a passenger van. 30 were stolen last year with the most common year taken being the 2015.

#8 on the list goes to full size Chevy Pick Ups. 30 were stolen last year with the most common year taken being the 2022.

#7 on the list goes to another Chevy Model, this time the Equinox. 33 were stolen last year with the most common year taken being the 2015.

Coming in at #6 is Toyota Camry. 36 were stolen last year with the most common year taken being the 2021

#5 on the list goes to the Hyundai Elantra, this time the Equinox. 33 were stolen last year with the most common year taken being the 2015.

Coming in at #4 is the Nissan Altima.  42 were stolen last year with the most common year taken being the 2015.

Breaking into (pun intended) the top 3, we have the Honda Civic.  52 were stolen last year with the most common year taken being the 2015.

Just barely missing out as the number one, at #2 is the Honda Accord.  53 were stolen last year with the most common year taken being the 2014.

At #1 the most stolen vehicle in the state of Delaware is the full size Ford Pickup.  56 were stolen last year with the most common year being a tie between 2010 and 2022.