Mass Potholes: They’re Bad, But Not the Worst

It's pothole season in the Commonwealth. Then again, when isn't it pothole season? Mass potholes are a year-round nuisance.

Naturally, they're worst in the late winter and early spring. The season's snow has melted, revealing gaping holes in the pavement caused by the removal of said snow. I feel like driving on the Bay State's byways and highways in the month of March is akin to playing the most difficult video game you've ever played. Even harder than the Mega Man games before you figure out the boss order.

And then there's the catch-22 of pothole repair crews. Yes, we need to have these potholes repaired before they tear out the entire undercarriage of our motor vehicle. But is it me, or do these crews seem to operate at the most inopportune times? You know, like daytime. When most people are driving. Pay these repair crews the shift differential and have them work overnights, please. I'll happily take the tax hit.

While we have it bad here in MA when it comes to driving divots, it could be worse. Right here in Waltham, home of the ROCK 92.9 studios, the Patch recently published this report on the local pothole problem. The two big takeaways? Our state ranks 19th overall in the country when it comes to the severity of rim-crushing road craters. And only one city--Springfield--makes the Top 50. They're 37th.

The Patch piece analyses data from this USA Today ranking of states with the worst pothole problems. Predictably, Washington tops the list. All that Pacific Northwest rain wreaks havoc on roadways, no doubt. So be thankful you're on this coast and not that one, and that our pothole problem isn't as bad as it could be. Much like our road rage problem. Keep scrolling to see where we land on that list.

Boston road rage incidents and our Masshole driving reputation have to be good enough to make the Top 10 in the country, right?

Wrong! For once, Boston misses the cut on a dubious Top 10 list. Granted, we're No. 11, so we just barely missed the Top 10. But still, you gotta take those wins where you can get 'em!

It's a funny thing, because just yesterday I was sharing this piece on how Massachusetts ranks in the Top 10 in the country on life expectancy. I quipped on how the ranking was surprising to me, given the dual anger-bringers of traffic and ire directed at our local sports teams. Anger can lead to heart problems and strokes, and those can lead to early death. Not the case, as it turns out. At least not now.

So now we turn our attention to this study from Fractl. Which cities have the most road rage? They asked 1,000 people on Twitter, and here are some of the stats the came away with:

So give yourself a pat on the back if you're a Boston driver: you're awful--but not atrocious--when it comes to road rage. Let's all do a victory lap together and see which cities beat us out. And please, no matter if you're in Boston or one of these other cities, please drive safely. With almost two-thirds of drivers keeping weapons in their car, clearly you are not safe.