Show seeks 'America's Worst Driver'

LOS ANGELES, March 8 (UPI) -- The executive producer of the upcoming U.S. cable TV show "America's Worst Driver" said he found bad motorists in eight major cities to be "equally pathetic."

Charlie Parsons, executive producer of the Travel Channel series, said each episode features four drivers from the city of the week, including Chicago, New York and Dallas, competing in a number of controlled situations to see who has the most bad habits behind the wheel, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday.

The "winner" gets to see his or her car demolished in a theatrical fashion before going to the show's finals in Los Angeles, where "America's Worst Driver" will be crowned and awarded a bicycle and a bus pass. The runners-up will each receive a new car, Parsons said.

The producer said filming revealed that bad driving behaviors were not limited to specific areas of the country.

"They were all equally pathetic," he said.

"We weren't looking for anybody who was a very reckless driver -- who had multiple violations and run-ins with the law," Parsons said. "We were more trying to find people who were in denial about certain things, like being a distracted driver, or poor parkers. Every one of the people who were nominated didn't feel they should be here. They are on the show to prove their nominators wrong."