Aggressive driving – sometimes elevating to road rage – is extremely common on America’s roadways, according to newly released data.
Nearly 80 percent of drivers expressed significant anger, aggression or road rage behind the wheel at least once in the past years, according to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s most recent survey data.
“Aggressive driving has increasingly become a major cause of concern for many road users,” AAA said in a news release.
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Nearly 3% of drivers surveyed admitted to ramming or bumping another vehicle intentionally, which suggests that about 5.7 million U.S. drivers did in the past year, but AAA says the true prevalence may be higher because drivers may underreport road rage and aggressive driving due to social-desirability bias.
In another example of road rage, about 4% of drivers reported getting out of their vehicle to confront another driver at least once in the past year, which suggests that about 7.6 million drivers have done it, AAA reports.
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Here are the most reported road rage and aggressive driving behaviors:
- 51% tailgate on purpose
- 48% drove 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway
- 47% yell at another driver
- 45% honk to show annoyance or anger
- 34% followed too closely to prevent another vehicle from merging
- 33% make angry gestures
- 31% drove through a red light
- 28% merged into traffic even when another driver tried to close the gap
- 26% switched lanes quickly or very closely behind another vehicle
- 25% sped up when a vehicle tried to pass
- 24% block another vehicle from changing lanes
- 22% passed in front of a vehicle at less than a car length
- 12% cut off another vehicle intentionally
RELATED: Rollover crash may have resulted from road rage, police say
AAA also released suggestions on how to avoid conflicts on the road, and how to deal with conflicts if they do arise.
“You will see other drivers doing things that are illegal, inconsiderate and even incomprehensible. Don’t respond personally,” AAA said. “Most drivers are not thinking about their impact on you; they are just rushed, distracted or upset. Remaining calm and courteous behind the wheel lowers your risk of an unpleasant encounter – with another driver and with law enforcement.”
AAA says following the rules of the road is a good place to start: Maintain adequate following distance; use turn signals; allow others to merge; use high beams responsibly; and tap the horn if necessary but avoid long blasts.
If a confrontation does unfold, AAA has these tips to deal with it:
- Avoid eye contact with angry drivers.
- Don’t respond to aggression with aggression.
- If you are in danger, drive to a public place such as a police station, hospital or fire station.
- When parking, allow room to pull out safely if someone approaches aggressively.
- Use to horn to attract attention but stay in the locked vehicle.
- Be as calm and courteous as possible.
- If you feel threatened, call 911.
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The Link LonkDecember 04, 2020 at 12:28AM
https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/12/nearly-80-of-us-drivers-had-aggression-road-rage-behind-the-wheel-in-the-past-year.html
Nearly 80% of U.S. drivers had aggression, road rage behind the wheel in the past year - MLive.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=Wheel&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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