History DrivesLikeCrazy / RealLife

* The coastal hotspots of the southern United States, especially during the summer months. Not because of the natives, but because of the huge influx of tourists, many of them young adults, from all over the United States.

* A common stereotype in English-speaking [[CanadaEh Canada]] is that [[UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}} Quebecers]] are this.

* After spending some time in Najran, Saudi Arabia, John Dolan/the War Nerd listed the rules of the road as follows:

* Driving in India can make most people from countries with more, ahem, mellow drivers [[HeroicBSOD get the shakes.]] For Indian drivers, the reaction to being told that there are traffic rules is generally one of the following:

* Non-natives in the Republic of Georgia can get... ''unnerved'' while riding in the local public transport form known as the marshrutka; drivers of the same tend to regard things like lane markings, driving on an assigned side of the road, stop signs, crosswalks, speed limits, etc. as quaint suggestions only paid attention to by amateurs.
* Reportedly, American troops deployed to Qatar during The War on Terror were prohibited from driving on public roads unless they had successfully passed something called the OSD Defensive Driving Course. Which is essentially the type of driver's training that is provided to ''special ops agents''.

* James May wrote a guide to driving in France for ''Series/{{Top Gear|UK}}'' magazine, listing handy phrases for use during a drive across France, such as, "You can't imagine that ever being allowed back home," and "How much longer until we get to Germany?"

** Actual French people tend to accuse Parisians of being the worst drivers bar none... with the second-worst being from their own native region.
* Irish lorry (truck to you Americans) drivers have this stereotype. Breaking time at the wheel regulations - check. Disabling engine governors to drive faster - check. To be fair though, this is only done because they come under pressure from the trucking companies they work for. But the fact remains - if you're anywhere near an Irish registered lorry - GET THE HECK OUT OF THE WAY!

* There are several [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itMdLTd1l4E Dash Cam compilations like this]] from Russian roads, due to dashcams being legally required for purposes of insurance and police evidence.

* In Athens, Greece, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere many car drivers have quit driving altogether]] because of dangerousness in driving in Athens and the [[http://www.travelsingreece.com/travel-tips/driving-in-greece/ reckless Greek]] automobile and motorcycle culture. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], since Athens is a very old city and their streets are very narrow and winding even by European standards, and Athens has excellent public transportation.
* Finnish people have a reputation for being this. The stereotype is somewhat justified since most of Finland is sparsely populated rural woodlands with the police force being badly understaffed. This gives rural people little incentive not to treat every journey like a rally stage.

* One reason why tourists in Sydney would be better off if they didn't drive themselves (other than [[TheMaze the city itself]]) is because Sydney drivers are reckless, aggressive, and more than happy to just weave through whatever opening there is. There's also the aversion to blinkers, as well as taking speed limit signs as rough suggestions. And that's not even taking into consideration the taxis and the buses.

* Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill, a Massachusetts Democrat and former Speaker of the House in the US House of Representatives, split his time between Boston and Washington DC and became well known for his habit of speeding through red lights in Washington DC in his worn down, rickety car while smoking cigars and knocking back cups of coffee with Congressman Edward Boland (with whom he shared an apartment in DC) but was never stopped by the DC police because they knew his car by sight. O'Neill's staff, naturally, was always afraid he would wreck his car in a spectacular fashion and in the process kill the man second in line to the Presidency after the Vice President.

* Though she was actually a very good driver, UsefulNotes/ElizabethII once infamously offered King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia a drive around the Balmoral Estate. Expecting a chauffeur he was very surprised to see the Queen herself take the wheel of the Land Rover (especially as women were not at that point allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia) and promptly proceed to drive at top speed along country roads, talking all the time. Apparently, he eventually ended up begging her to slow down and concentrate. Makes sense since in World War Two Elizabeth drove ambulances, and when saving lives, each second matters.

* Averted in the case of a Polish driver named Prawo Jazdy, who was given hundreds of tickets across Ireland and was thought to be the worst offender in the country until the authorities determined that Prawo Jazdy wasn't a name, but was Polish for "driver's license."
* In NASCAR, there's Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He's been involved in a number of crashes, especially at Daytona or Talladega where the cars are much more closely bunched together and one car in the front going sideways results in a big pileup known as 'The Big One'. One notable case came in the final restrictor-plate race of the 2019 season, where on lap 182 of 188 he was the lead car on the inside of a three-wide scenario at the front before going up to side-draft Kyle Busch, leading the middle lane with help from his brother Kurt, only to set off the Big One in which part-timer Brendan Gaughan, who had been leading the outside lane and for a split-second was the overall leader, flipped once.

** A similar attack took place [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Barcelona_attacks one year after]] in Barcelona, Spain, when one jihadist drove a van through a crowded street killing 14 people and injuring 130, followed by another attack by 5 men of possibly the same terrorist cell in a nearby town, this time using a car, killing 1 woman and injuring 6 people. The latter attackers were shot to death by the police, while the former escaped and was also killed by the police some days later.

--->'''Brad Keselowski''': Kyle Busch is an ass![[note]]Busch had turned Brad to win the Xfinity race the previous night[[/note]]

** Both father (Jos) and son (Max) Verstappen have demonstrated extremely aggressive driving styles, and between them, they have caused several accidents (Max in particular). On the other hand Max is now a 3 time World Driver's Champion and won 18 of the first 21 races in 2023, so one man's crazy might be another man's brilliant.

* Eden Project founder Sir Tim Smit has been [[http://www.bude-today.co.uk/article.cfm?id=2054&headline=Eden%20project%20chief%20banned&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2009 repeatedly banned]] [[https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/eden-project-founder-sir-tim-5178334.amp from driving]] for speeding.

** Haas F1 rookie Nikita Mazepin has earned this reputation in record time within a few months of his F1 career, due to the sheer number of spins and incidents he has gotten himself into during the first few races of the 2021 season; he has thus gained himself the nickname "Mazespin" for such exploits. He holds the dubious honour of having finished [=21st=] out of 2021's 20-driver lineup.[[labelnote:Note]]The other driver to beat him, Alfa Romeo reserve driver Robert Kubica, only participated in two races as a stand-in for Kimi Raikkonen, yet he still finished at higher positions ([=P15=] at Zandvoort, [=P14=] at Monza) than Mazepin during his entire career (his highest place being P14 at Baku, but having retired at four races)[[/labelnote]]. Of course Mazepin only got this ride in the first place because [[{{Nepotism his father owned part of the team's sponsor]], Uralkali (a Russian mining and fertilizer company), and when his father was placed under sanction after Russia invaded Ukraine both Uralkali and Mazepin had their contracts terminated.

** Both father (Jos) and son (Max) Verstappen have demonstrated extremely aggressive driving styles, and between them, they have caused several accidents (Max in particular).

** Much like Maldonado above, Romain Grosjean had a less turbulent, but still "interesting", Formula One career, either finishing in the top 10, or not finishing at all due to crashes or mechanical issues. In particular, he has been known for at least 2 infamous first-lap crashes: first was at the 2012 Belgian GP, where he took out Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Sergio Perez in one fell swoop at the very first corner, which led him to be labeled by Mark Webber as the "First Lap Nutcase", and be the first person to receive a one-race ban since Michael Schumacher in 1994; the second (and just as infamous) would be his fiery crash at the 2020 Bahrain GP, where he binned his Haas F1 car onto the barriers, splitting it in half. Fortunately, he survived both crashes, especially the second due to advances in safety measures for the sport (including the halo, which enabled his head to miss the barrier).

** Haas F1 rookie Nikita Mazepin has earned this reputation in record time within a few months of his F1 career, due to the sheer number of spins and incidents he has gotten himself into during the first few races of the 2021 season; he has thus gained himself the nickname "Mazespin" for such exploits. He holds the dubious honour of having finished [=21st=] out of 2021's 20-driver lineup.[[labelnote:Note]]The other driver to beat him, Alfa Romeo reserve driver Robert Kubica, only participated in two races as a stand-in for Kimi Raikkonen, yet he still finished at higher positions ([=P15=] at Zandvoort, [=P14=] at Monza) than Mazepin during his entire career (his highest place being P14 at Baku, but having retired at four races)[[/labelnote]].

* Actually '''encouraged''' in UsefulNotes/PapuaNewGuinea's capital of Port Moresby, which has quietly become one of the most violent cites in the world[[note]]PNG actually has an astronomical crime rate, mainly due to a complete lack of any economic opportunities. The country really only has two sources of income, mining and farming (industries generally not found near large cities), and is currently ranked 145th in the world in per-capita GDP[[/note]]. There's certain neighborhoods that people are strongly recommended to avoid, but if you choose to ignore this advice and drive through these neighborhoods ''do not stop the car'', for any reason - assaults, robberies, and carjackings at intersections are very common. Because of this traffic laws are completely ignored, not that the meager police force has time to enforce them to begin with. If there's ever a place where you could get away with driving like you do in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' in RealLife, and actually might need to do it stay breathing, Port Moresby is probably it.

* Actually '''encouraged''' in UsefulNotes/PapuaNewGuinea's capital of Port Moresby, which has quietly become one of the most violent cites in the world[[note]]PNG actually has an astronomical crime rate, mainly due to a complete lack of any economic opportunities. The country really only has two sources of income, mining and farming (industries generally not found near large cities), and is currently ranked 145th in the world in per-capita GDP[[/note]]. There's certain neighborhoods that people are strongly recommended to avoid, but if you choose to ignore this advice and drive through these neighborhoods ''do not stop the car'', for any reason - assaults, robberies, and carjackings at intersections are very common. Because of this traffic laws are completely ignored, not that the meager police force has time to enforce them to begin with.

* Actually '''encouraged''' in UsefulNotes/PapuaNewGuinea's capital of Port Moresby, which has quietly become one of the most violent cites in the world[[note]]PNG actually has an astronomical crime rate, mainly due to a complete lack of any economic opportunities. The country really only has two sources of income, mining and farming, and is currently ranked 145th in the world in per-capita GDP[[/note]]. There's certain neighborhoods that people are strongly recommended to avoid, but if you choose to ignore this advice and drive through these neighborhoods ''do not stop the car'', for any reason - assaults, robberies, and carjackings at intersections are very common. Because of this traffic laws are completely ignored, not that the meager police force has time to enforce them to begin with.

* Drivers in the UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC area love to fight about which part of the region produces the worst drivers. UsefulNotes/{{Virginia}} drivers think Maryland drivers are crazy, Maryland drivers think Virginia drivers are crazy, and those in the District think everyone's terrible. But longtime residents know the ones you really have to watch out for are those with diplomatic plates, since they have DiplomaticImmunity and can get away with things no other driver could. Diplomats have been known to accrue hundreds of tickets for serious offenses which would get any other driver's license taken away after one or two, but there's nothing anyone can do about it except give them a ticket and hope they pay it (which they frequently don't.)

* According to ''Literature/TheDisasterArtist'' Tommy Wiseau, famous for ''Film/TheRoom'', drives ''so'' carefully (constantly going at least 20 mph under the speed limit, and slamming on his brakes the second he sees another car in a parking lot, no matter how far away) that it warps back around to this. Plus, he doesn't know how to use windshield wipers. He claims to have been in two near-fatal car accidents, which is probably the case, though Greg doubts how true they are. Played straight when Tommy confronts Greg over him talking to his hippie friend about Tommy, where he becomes angry and unhinged and starts driving like the "normal" version of crazy.

!!Americas

!!Asia/Middle East

!!Europe

!!Oceania

* Creator/JamesDean, Creator/PaulWalker and [[Series/{{Jackass}} RyanDunn]] were all known for reckless driving that lead to each of their deaths. Razzle of Music/HanoiRocks died in a drunk driving accident in a car driven by a very drunk Vince Neil of Music/MotleyCrue.

* Creator/JamesDean, Creator/PaulWalker and Creator/RyanDunn were all known for reckless driving that lead to each of their deaths. Razzle of Music/HanoiRocks died in a drunk driving accident in a car driven by a very drunk Vince Neil of Music/MotleyCrue.

* A common stereotype in English-speaking [[CanadaEh Canada]] is that Quebecers are this.
** People in Upstate New York tend to shudder when they see a car with Quebec license plates.

* Los Angeles has so many really visible cases of bad driving that it used to have its own blog, [[http://www.lacantdrive.com L.A. Can't Drive]], which used to update with a new example every day. One can still follow the [[https://twitter.com/lacantdrive author on Twitter]].
* California in general is a state FULL of bad drivers who can't follow the rules, bad pedestrians who PUT THEMSELVES IN DANGER just to get somewhere faster, and [[RunningGag bad roads.]]
* Colorado [[https://www.outtherecolorado.com/blog/why-are-colorado-drivers-so-bad/article_eb1b902c-7562-54fc-917b-4a4888ad31a3.html has a tradition for this]], with explanations ranging from people who can't drive well in the snow to roads in mountains and other dangerous terrain.
* Jeremy Clarkson once described the Barbados Highway Code as "you can do whatever you like, at whatever speed takes your fancy, so long as you are leaning on the horn at the time."

* San Francisco is known for taxi drivers who do [[http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/the-sfo-cannonball-run/Content?oid=2176489 "cannonball runs"]], roaring back and forth between San Francisco International Airport and S.F. proper[[note]]the airport is actually about 10 miles from the city itself[[/note]] at the expense of their passengers' safety and well-being just so they can take full advantage of the airport's "if you get back here in 30 minutes we'll put you in a shorter taxi queue" system, which was meant as an AntiFrustrationFeature for drivers who end up with short-distance fares due to the standard taxi queue often resulting in hours-long waits. This was the inspiration for the video game ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi''.
* The State of [[HollywoodNewEngland Massachusetts]] — '''especially''' the [[UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} Metro Boston]] area — has this reputation. Many stores in the state sell bumper stickers and t-shirts bearing the outline of the state and the statement "Using your turn signal just reveals your plans to the enemy". There is a song about Massachusetts drivers called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v18KX8Uyfs Who Taught These Idiots To Drive?"]]. Paradoxically, since everyone ''knows'' all the other drivers are maniacs, most people take precautions that would seem insane anywhere else, with the end result being it's actually [[http://247wallst.com/special-report/2016/05/10/the-most-and-least-dangerous-states-to-drive/2/ the safest state in the US to drive in]]. However, the driving is one of the top reasons Massachusetts residents are known as "Massholes" in the rest of New England.

* Drivers in the city of Philadelphia have this reputation, but whether it's deserved is a matter of debate. To listen to the rest of the State of Pennsylvania, you would think that all Philly drivers are Mad Max-wannabes practicing for the zombie apocalypse. It's not far from the truth, but everything about traffic and transit in Philadelphia is pretty cut-throat, from public trans to the Philadelphia Parking Conspiracy. Oddly, Philly drivers have this reputation in ''UsefulNotes/NewJersey'' too, and [[{{Joisey}} New Jersey drivers]] have a ''scary'' reputation in Philly. Philly drivers tend to be more in the "extremely aggressive/defensive driver" camp whereas Jersey drivers are "just plain reckless," although it's changing, and we're starting to see more "Jersey driving" on Philly streets (no use of signals or mirrors, no double-checking a vehicle's blind spot, attempting to pass when passing is far from advisable, etc). Doesn't help that NJ is one of the few widespread users of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jughandle jughandles on roads]], as opposed to quadro-stop sign intersections.

* Drivers in the Washington, D.C. area love to fight about which part of the region produces the worst drivers. Virginia drivers think Maryland drivers are crazy, Maryland drivers think Virginia drivers are crazy, and those in the District think everyone's terrible. But longtime residents know the ones you really have to watch out for are those with diplomatic plates, since they have DiplomaticImmunity and can get away with things no other driver could. Diplomats have been known to accrue hundreds of tickets for serious offenses which would get any other driver's license taken away after one or two, but there's nothing anyone can do about it except give them a ticket and hope they pay it (which they frequently don't.)