A recent survey designed to analyze driver courtesy shows that Connecticut and Rhode Island drivers have some room for improvement.

Kars4Kids, a car donation charity, published the survey results as part of its "Drive Human" campaign to promote courteous driving. Between March and April, online surveys were issued to 50 licensed adult drivers in each state – 2,500 in total.

The survey offered 10 multiple choice questions, asking drivers to say how they would respond to a variety of driving scenarios. These included whether they use their signal when turning or merging, if they would let another driver merge during traffic congestion, or if they would take a parking spot while another driver was waiting to pull into it.

Each state's responses were averaged to give a score of one to four, with one being the least courteous and four being the most courteous. All responses were then averaged to provide a ranking of states.

Connecticut earned an overall score of 3.33, or a C in Kars4Kids' letter grading system. Rhode Island scored slightly lower at 3.29, which was enough to bump it down to a D+. Connecticut was ranked 30th among all states, while Rhode Island came in 38th.

In summarizing the results, Kars4Kids said Connecticut responses tended to show more tolerance for slow drivers, unlike many other states. Drivers were most likely to choose a courteous option when asked if they would let a vehicle pass or speed up to prevent it (3.88 average), if they used turn signals (3.82), and if they would steal a parking spot (3.76). They were less courteous when asked if they would cut across traffic to make an exit (2.22) or cut into a line of traffic at an exit (2.94).

Rhode Island drivers were the fourth most likely in the nation to say they would use an empty turn lane to pass a line of vehicles at a stop sign, scoring an average of 3.16 on this question. They also ranked second lowest in the nation for turn signal use (3.66) and cutting in front of traffic backed up at an exit (2.68). The state's drivers were more courteous in allowing people to pass instead of speeding up (3.88) and not stealing a parking spot (3.82).

Kars4Kids gave failing grades to three states. New York was ranked as having the least courteous drivers with an average score of 3.2, followed by South Carolina (3.25) and Arkansas (3.26).

The survey determined that Kansas drivers were most likely to respond aggressively to slow driving. Iowans were least likely to use turn signals, New Yorkers were most likely to respond rudely when being tailgated, and Wisconsin drivers were most likely to steal a parking spot. Drivers in Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi were most likely to say they would speed up to keep another driver from passing them.

Western states tended to have more courteous drivers, with Idaho, New Mexico, and Oregon ranked as the friendliest with average scores of 3.49, 3.47, and 3.44, respectively. Vermont was ranked ninth with an average of 3.41, just edging out New Hampshire's 10th place ranking and score of 3.4.

Older drivers were more likely to be courteous than younger ones, with those ages 51 and older earning an average score of 3.45. The averages were 3.24 for the 25 and under age group, 3.29 among those ages 26 to 40, and 3.34 among those ages 41 to 50.

Women were slightly more courteous than men, earning an average score of 3.35. Men averaged a score of 3.32.