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Is road rage increasing?
Road Rage Statistics
By
Taylor Covington
August 18, 2020
Key findings + statistics
· 66% of traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving (NHTSA)
· 37% of aggressive driving incidents involve a firearm (AutoVantage Club).
· A total of 12,610 injuries and 218 murders have been attributed to road rage over a seven-year period in the United States (SafeMotorist).
· Males under the age of 19 are the most likely to exhibit road rage (NHTSA).
· It’s proven that 94% of traffic accidents are caused by driver error (NPR).
· Aggressive driving played a role in 56% of fatal accidents between 2003 and 2007 (III).
What causes road rage?
Everyone’s been frustrated while driving — at least once. Whether it’s due to traffic or the poor decisions of other drivers, that flash of anger can easily ruin our day. But for some, that anger lasts much longer than an instant and can lead to some disastrous consequences. Each year thousands die in preventable motor vehicle accidents and road rage is one of the more deadly behaviors behind the wheel.
But what exactly is road rage? What are some precautions you can take to avoid to getting so angry while driving? We’ll explore the states, genders, and ages most susceptible to road rage by unearthing data from notable sources like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American Automobile Association, including priopitary data from more recent years.
Table of contents
1.
Road rage in 2020
2.
Road rage in 2019
3.
Aggressive driving vs. road rage
4.
What does road rage look like in the US?
5.
Road rage statistics by state
6.
Road rage statistics by gender
7.
Road rage statistics by age
8.
Road rage and gun violence
9.
Comparing road rage to drunk or distracted driving
10.
Dangers of road rage on car insurance premiums
11.
Road rage FAQs
Road rage statistics in 2020
In May 2020, The Zebra, the nation’s leading insurance comparison site, conducted a national survey on 1,500 Americans to better understand this “road rage” phenomenon.
Major takeways include:
· 19.3% of respondents reported feeling anger and intense aggression while driving in the past year, while 5.5% said they experienced those same feelings weekly. 2.8% reported those same feelings every time they drive.
· The most common act of road rage witnessed by American drivers was another driver honking their car horns in anger (48.3%). However, 41.1% (almost half of the respondents) witnessed drivers giving rude hand gestures to the person of their aggression. 35.8% saw other drivers yell at another driver, while 6.2% actually witnessed drivers get out of their car and fight in a physical altercation.
· Distracted driving, tailgating, and being cut off in traffic are the most enraging behaviors, according to the survey (respondents reporting 27.7%, 21.4%, and 15.6% respectively).
This new data also indicates a concerning lack of action taken by most Americans, despite knowing the dangers of road rage.
· 40.8% of drivers reported believing road rage was just as dangerous as distracted driving.
· 41.4% of drivers reported believing road rage was just as dangerous as drunk driving.
· 44.4% of people also admitted failing to report road rage to the police when they saw it.
Perhaps this discrepancy comes down to varying beliefs regarding how road rage is defined.
· 17.4% claim road rage is only feelings caused by another driver’s behavior, while 10.1% define road rage as physical responses due to another driver. 2.1% see road rage as physical responses due to traffic/blockage. 1.8% responded that road rage was caused by traffic or construction.
· Of the above options, 46.7% saw road rage as all of the above, but 21.1% didn’t see road rage as any of the listed options.
If you find yourself frustrated behind the wheel, our research shows these as the top ways to relax after a road rage incident.
· Listen to music or a podcast: 30.5% (still regarded the top favorite choice, in accordance to last year’s road rage survey)
· Think of something more peaceful: 19.2%
· Letting off steam by yelling in the car: 9.5%
Wake-Up Call: 7 Shocking Road Rage Statistics You Didn’t Know
By
Drivers-Ed Staff
| Published: September 8, 2020
As a driver, you’ve likely run into — figuratively speaking, we hope — road rage. Perhaps you’ve even been a road rage victim, yourself. Unfortunately, road rage or aggressive driving are exceptionally common, and we might even have driven aggressively, ourselves. Here are seven shocking road rage statistics you may never have heard.
1. 53% Consider Speeding Normal
Especially at rush hour, over half of all drivers consider driving 10 mph over the speed limit to be perfectly normal. For the other 47%, this is seen as aggressive behavior, which can raise the ire of even calm drivers. Speeding and other aggressive driving maneuvers also significantly increase the chances and severity of car crashes.
2. 94% of Collisions are Due to Human Error
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates over
94% of car crashes
are caused by human error. About a third of these can be linked to road rage causes or road rage itself, such as speeding, changing lanes without signaling, tailgating, illegal maneuvers.
3. 50% Become Aggressors
Being the victim of such bad driving habits or driver errors, angered or anxious drivers might themselves respond in kind. Half of drivers admit to resorting to horn-honking, light-flashing, rude gestures, shouting, and aggressive driving after another driver has done it to them.
4. 2% Admit Revenge
Sometimes, such aggression takes a step further, including tailgating, short-braking, even bumping, and about 2% of drivers admit to attempting to run another aggressive driver off the road!
5. 37% Involve Firearms
As if this weren’t scary enough, over two-thirds of road rage incidents involve at least one firearm, which can significantly raise the danger level, not only for the drivers involved, but other drivers and pedestrians in the area.
6. 66% of Traffic Fatalities
Every year, around 30,000 people die in car crashes, in spite of safer vehicles and traffic laws designed to protect drivers, passengers, and pedestrians alike. As it turns out, no safety system in the world can protect you from an aggressive driver, possibly linked to two-thirds of all traffic fatalities.
7. 30 Murders per Year
Every year, about 30 murders are linked to road rage. This is the sad disastrous result of rage-fueled car crashes, the use of firearms to solve traffic disputes, even bringing the violence right into people’s homes.
Sources:
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun05/anger.aspx
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/10/01/aa.defensive.driving.tips/
https://brandongaille.com/21-startling-road-rage-facts-and-statistics/
https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding#2306
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812115
https://www.nhtsa.gov/document/aggressive-driving-enforcement
URL:
https://driversed.com/trending/wake-up-call-7-shocking-road-rage-statistics-you-didnt-know/#:~:text=Wake-Up%20Call%3A%207%20Shocking%20Road%20Rage%20Statistics%20