“It’s completely normal for drivers to experience anger behind the wheel, but we must not let our emotions lead to destructive choices”, Jake Nelson, AAA’s director of traffic safety advocacy and research, said in the news release.
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Much of that road rage and aggression comes from drivers always in a rush. Lt.
But quite a few went as far as to get out of their vehicles for a confrontation or intentionally ram another vehicle, said AAA. The tailgaters on I-95 and I-84, the red-light runners in Bridgeport and Norwalk, the angry drivers who don’t think twice about cutting you off and leaving you in the ditch. The AAA survey also breaks down the top road rage behaviors, several of which police say could land you criminal charges.
A new study shows almost 80 percent of drivers express significant anger, aggression or road rage.
And drivers in the congested northeast are more likely to yell, honk or gesture than drivers in other parts of the country.
And an estimated 8 million drivers engaged in more extreme behavior that might be considered “road rage”, including bumping or ramming a vehicle on objective or getting out of their cars to confront another driver.
AAA offers tips like never cause another driver to change their speed or direction. Stay calm behind the wheel, even when another driver makes you angry.
Consequently, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recommends not trying to offend anyone on the road, showing tolerance and forgiveness, and calling 9-1-1 if necessary. Assume that it’s not personal.
Do not respond. Avoid eye contact, don’t make gestures, maintain space around your vehicle and contact 911 if needed.
The AAA study also pointed out male and younger drivers age 19-39 were the most likely to express road rage. “Usually you can see them screaming, I get told I’m number one quite a bit every day”.
“The most alarming findings suggest that approximately eight million US drivers engaged in extreme examples of road rage, including purposefully ramming another vehicle or getting out of the auto to confront another driver”, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety said in a statement Thursday.
Most Americans motorists have driven while enraged, according to a AAA auto-club report published Thursday, and in DE aggressive driving arrests are on the upswing. In addition, about nine out of ten believe that everyone’s safety is at risk because of aggressive drivers. “I made that honest mistake and I try to project and say if they made that honest mistake I could have made it once too”.
There were 214 million licensed drivers in the United States in 2014, according to the Federal Highway Administration. The organization recently conducted a survey to determine how frequently American drivers participate in acts of road rage, from the most severe to simple hand gestures. Researchers also found that about half of all drivers have purposely tailgated another vehicle, yelled at another driver or honked in anger. Of the 2,705 drivers surveyed, 12 percent said they cut off another vehicle; four percent said they left their vehicle to confront another driver.
Cutting off another vehicle on goal: 12 percent (24 million drivers).
Getting out of the vehicle to confront another driver: 4 percent (7.6 million drivers).
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Bumping or ramming another vehicle on goal: 3 percent (5.7 million drivers).
