Road Rage (Motor Vehicle Safety) Stats and Facts

FACTS

  1. Road rage is legally classified as a criminal charge. This is because it is classified as a willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others.
  2. Aggressive drivers can be ticketed as a traffic offense.
  3. Other criminal road rage offenses include swerving into another car, forcing another driver off the road, shooting a gun into another car, tailgating behind a car, ramming another motorist, or performing brake checks in front of a vehicle.
  4. Road ragers find it difficult to get full incurrence payouts for car damages. 
  5. When a road-rage incident shows up on your driving record, as a criminal offense, it is a serious red flag.

STATS

  • In March of 2021, The Zebra looked at the driving behaviors of 1,500 Americans and identified several insights around road rage and aggressive driving.
  • Drivers reported that the most frequently witnessed act of road rage (45.4%) was another driver angrily honking their horn.
  • 38.9% of drivers witnessed other drivers signaling rude hand gestures to other drivers in an act of road rage.
  • Most drivers reported (30%) that the most frustrating thing another driver can do is driving while distracted with their phone. Only 6.8% reported that traffic was the most annoying thing about driving.
  • 26.5% of drivers use music or a podcast to calm down after getting angry while driving.
  • Because of the COVID-19, the driving and driving behaviors changed in 2020 to 2021.
  • In one year, there was a reported drop in 1.9% reported feelings of road rage.
  • Distracted driving, tailgating, and cutting off other drivers are still the most enraging behaviors, but reported numbers are lower.
  • 86% of drivers believe it’s safe to drive at least 10 miles per hour over the speed limit on the highway