According to previous research, aggressive driving behavior in the United States contributes to a substantial proportion of fatal crashes, is perceived to be a serious threat to safety, and appears to be increasingly prevalent. The purpose of this study was to provide estimates of the prevalence of aggressive driving behaviors. The data analyzed were collected via a nationally-representative online survey of 2,705 licensed drivers aged 16 and older conducted in the United States in 2014. More than 78% of U.S. drivers reported having engaged in at least one aggressive driving behavior at least once in the past year. The most common such behaviors, reported by roughly half of all drivers, were purposely tailgating another vehicle, yelling at another driver, and honking their horn “to show annoyance or anger.” Approximately one-third of all respondents indicated that they had made an angry gesture at another driver. Approximately one in four drivers reported that they had purposely tried to block another driver from changing lanes, and 11.9% reported that they had cut off another vehicle on purpose. A small proportion of drivers even admitted to engaging in behaviors beyond the scope of general aggressive driving and which may be considered road rage: 3.7% of drivers reported that they had exited their vehicle to confront another driver, and 2.8% reported that they had bumped or rammed another vehicle on purpose. (Author/publisher)
Abstract