Meet America’s best and worst drivers

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Written by Nell Alcantara

What do women, Volvo drivers and Rochester, NY all have in common?

What do women, Volvo drivers and Rochester, NY all have in common? They each represent the best drivers in their category, according to a new report from NYC-based tech start-up, Dash, which analyzed a snapshot of five million miles driven by American car owners.

Dash has a mobile product (Dash โ€“ Drive Smart) that makes any car a ‘smart car’. It analyzes driving behavior of the user with over 300 metrics in real time, including factors like speeding, hard breaking, acceleration, idling and fuel efficiency, as well as road conditions and weather. This is compiled into the ‘Dash Score’, out of 100.

Which drivers are ‘Fast & Furious’?
Dash analyzed five millions miles of driving in early 2014 and found fascinating results:
Battle of the sexes?
While men are marginally better drivers than women (score: 82 vs. 79), they are also 2 x as likely to stop short, and 3 x as likely to over-accelerate.

Cars brands in “pole position?”
No surprise, but Volvo drivers get the best scores (95), followed by Porsche (94) and Mazda (93). In the luxury category, Audi (93) beats BMW (86), with Mercedes lagging (86). Dishonorable mention goes to Jaguar, with a dismal score (64).

Cities with the most “jerks” on the road?
Rochester, NY drivers proved to be the nation’s best, with Elizabeth, NJ the worst. Their neighbors in Hoboken, NJ were consistently the fastest drivers in the country, while Dallas, TX were real “jerks” on the road, with six times more hard breaks than the national average.

Where do the “tree-huggers” drive?
Los Angeles drivers are the greenest, with an average 37 Miles Per Gallon (MPG), vs. the US average at 24 MPG.

Is your whip called ‘KITT’?
‘Bullet’ is the most popular nickname drivers gave their car, followed by ‘Big Red’ and ‘Beast’. ‘Taco’, ‘Ol Busty’ and ‘Betty’ also proved popular.

Dash works by connecting your smartphone to your car using a low cost, self-installed device, called an On-Board Diagnostic unit (OBD II, which retails as low as $10 on Amazon). The device works on any car on the road since 1996. Dash helps drivers improve their driving, making the roads safer, greener and more social. Dash drivers can save an average of $1,500 per year on running costs.

The service connects to platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google and Smart Things, as well as SMS alerts for family, friends and colleagues.

Dash โ€“ Drive Smart is available for Android (iPhone this summer) in the USA and internationally in Canada, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Dash has been downloaded in over 100 countries.

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Avatar of Nell Alcantara

Nell Alcantara

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