Although St. Louis is considered one of the top courteous cities, according to the Driver's Seat 2007 AutoVantage Road Rage Survey, motorists caught in jams on Brentwood Blvd, just south of I-64, during lunch hour traffic, may have a different point of view.
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St. Louis Considered One of Top Courteous Cities According to Driver Trends Survey
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), May 20, 2007 - The second annual In The Driver's Seat Road Rage Survey, commissioned by AutoVantage, a leading national auto club, found that the least courteous city in the country is Miami, followed by New York and Boston.
It's the second consecutive year that Miami claimed the top spot. The other two cities with the worst road rage were Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
The most courteous city is Portland, Ore., followed closely by Pittsburgh, Seattle/Tacoma, St. Louis and Dallas/Ft. Worth.
The In The Driver's Seat 2007 AutoVantage Road Rage Survey, released today, was conducted to determine the driving habits and attitudes of commuters across the U.S. and to learn more about consumer views on the topic of road rage.
"Road rage has unfortunately too often become a way of life, both on and off the track," said NASCAR racing TV personality, radio host, best-selling author and AutoVantage spokesperson Liz Allison. "More and more, in cities across America, people are acting out their frustrations with dangerous results. It's bad for professional and everyday drivers alike.
This year's survey sought to define road rage in America. Two important attributes emerged in defining road rage behavior:
- Angry or upset drivers, including out-of-control drivers and drivers
who lose their temper.
- Bad or aggressive driving, including bad/careless/crazy and/or rude
driving, cutting into lanes, cutting people off, tailgating, speeding
and/or honking.
When asked the major causes of road rage in the survey, the most frequent theme was people being in a hurry, running late, being impatient and/or speeding.
- "Bad/rude/careless driving, such as cutting others off, talking on the
cell phone, speeding or going too slow in the fast lane"
- "People who are angry, stressed or frustrated"
- "People being in a hurry, impatient or running late"
Behaviors by other drivers that cause stress for commuters, and which can lead to road rage, include:
- Driving too fast (66 percent observe this happening every day)
- Tailgating (57 percent see this every day)
- Cutting over without notice (45 percent see this every day)
MoDOT To Launch Origin/Destination Web Tool
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), May 20, 2007 - The Missouri Department of Transportation will unveil another travel information tool to help motorists get around with the I-64 reconstruction project. The Map My Trip web-mapping tool will be unveiled at an 11 a.m. news conference on Monday, May 21 at MoDOT's Transportation Management Center, 14301 South Outer 40 Road in Chesterfield.
MoDOT District Engineer Ed Hassinger will be joined by House Transportation Chair State Representative Neal St. Onge and RCGA President Dick Fleming to demonstrate the origin/destination tool knows as "Map My Trip". Map My Trip will aid motorists in avoiding highway and ramp closures due to construction in the St. Louis area; accurate information is limited to St. Louis City and County only.
This web-based tool will allow travelers to enter origin and destination locations and get street by street directions. Unlike other mapping tools, the program will then take into account ramp, interchange or road closures due to construction in St. Louis City and County and offer an alternate route.
Boeing Reaches Tentative Agreement With Machinists Union in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), May 20, 2007 - The Boeing Company has announced that it has reached a tentative agreement for a new three-year contract with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837.
Once ratified by the union membership, the contract will provide approximately $24,000 in additional compensation over the term of the agreement.
The company's pay and benefits package provides an average of 9.5 percent in wage increases, significant improvements in retirement benefits, and a comprehensive and affordable health care program.
"This contract recognizes the contributions employees have made to the company's success and addresses today's business realities so that Boeing St. Louis can remain competitive in the years ahead," said Steve Jacques, IDS vice president of manufacturing and St. Louis lead for the negotiations. "We look forward to getting this contract approved so we can continue to meet the needs of our customers and deliver the amazing products and services they have come to expect from our team."
Key features of the contract offer to approximately 2,500 represented employees include:
* Lump-sum payments: $2,500 in 2007; $2,500 in 2008. Each payment
represents an average of 3.5 percent in pay.
* General Wage Increases: 4 percent in 2007; 3 percent in 2009.
* Increased Retirement Benefits: A 17 percent increase in pension benefit
to $70 per month for each year of service for employees who retire on
or after July 1, 2007.
* The contract offers a comprehensive range of health care
options.
Medicaid Will Become MO HealthNet
JEFFERSON CITY, (SLFP.com), May 20, 2007 - In the eleventh hour of the legislative session, the Missouri House approved a new healthcare program for the state's most vulnerable citizens.
The new program, called MO HealthNet, emphasizes wellness, prevention, and responsibility and increases access to healthcare. The new provisions are found in Senate Bill 577.
Much of SB 577 aims to increase access to healthcare. The new MO HealthNet program will extend healthcare coverage for foster care children aged 18 to 21. It restores dentistry and optometry services and durable medical equipment if they are medical necessary and if the state appropriates sufficient funds.
Others who will have increased access to MO HealthNet include children whose parents do not have access to affordable health insurance, children with parents participating in the state's drug court program, and women with incomes at or below 185% of the federal poverty level.
Rep. Charles Portwood (R-Ballwin) characterized the new MO HealthNet as "an extremely generous program."
Yet, even with expanded programs, the House handler of SB 577 said there is another core problem that, addressed in the bill, will help more Missourians get the care they need.
"We know the most significant problem facing participants [in Medicaid] now is low provider access," said Rep. Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph). "This bill addresses this problem in multiple ways."
SB 577 calls for a five-year plan to increase provider reimbursement rates. Proponents of the change say this will encourage more doctors, especially those needed in specialty areas, to accept MO HealthNet patients. The bill expands the number of healthcare professionals who receive liability coverage when they provide free medical services and creates a state fund with the mission of expanding healthcare services in shortage areas and enacts Medicaid fraud reform.
The Ticket to Work program, a key priority of the House since 2005, was included in today's legislation. Rep. Portwood, who originally sponsored legislation to restore the program said SB 577 contains "the best Ticket to Work program that we've had in three years ... We're going to allow people who are 100% disabled...to go back to work and earn a little bit of money and not lose they're healthcare."
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