Road rage statistics 2025

Statistics on road rage and aggressive driving

Road rage is quite common in the U.S., with approximately 92% of Americans reporting witnessing road rage at least once in the past year, and 89% reporting that they have been the victim of such occurences. Those who report witnessing a more severe road rage incident, like a physical altercation between drivers, is much less at just 6%.

Most prevalent road rage behaviors in the U.S.:

1. Speeding on highway: 48%
2. Tailgating: 34%
3. Honking/gestures: 32%
4. Running a red light: 31%
5. Aggressive driving: 26%
6. Cutting another vehicle off: 22%

Time and location affect the level of aggressive driving experienced. Drivers tend to experience the most frustration on Mondays, Fridays, and on afternoons, suggesting that the times when traffic is heaviest and slowest may incite the highest level of road rage incidents.

According to data published in the American Automobile Association’s most recent Traffic Safety Culture Index, U.S. drivers face numerous hazards on the road — including no lack of troubling behavior from fellow motorists. The Traffic Safety Culture Index reports:

• Eighty-three percent of respondents said running a red light or aggressive driving, such as switching lanes quickly and tailgating (89%), was very or extremely dangerous.
• Despite the admission that aggressive driving is dangerous, fewer drivers perceive speeding as a dangerous activity, as the speeding behaviors had the least disapproval of all the examined unsafe driving behaviors.
• About 63% of drivers believed police would apprehend them for traveling 15 miles per hour over the speed limit on a freeway, yet in the past 30 days before the survey, approximately half reported having engaged in the behavior.
• Seven percent of respondents admitted to driving after drinking alcohol, while 6% said they had recently driven after using marijuana. Meanwhile, in the past month, 18% of respondents admitted to “driving while drowsy,” despite the fact that 95% believe that doing so is “extremely dangerous.”

What causes aggressive driving and road rage?

The most common reasons cited by drivers and commuters for aggressive driving and road rage are heavy traffic reinforced by existing feelings of stress.

• Heavy traffic: 39.35%
• Already feeling stressed: 38.06%
• Running late: 33.89%
• Already feeling angry: 32.49%
• Feeling tired: 26.86%

Studies show that age, time of year/day, and type of car are the most common factors that increase the risk of road rage and aggressive driving.

• Age: Drivers ages 19 and below are more than four times more likely to be involved in an aggressive driving crash than older adults
• Month and day: Road rage incidents tend to be more likely to occur in the summer months (July, August, and September) and toward the end of the week
• Time of day: Angry drivers are more prevalent during peak commute hours, between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Anonymity plays a factor in road rage. Drivers may feel more comfortable displaying aggressive behaviors such as tailgating, honking, cutting people off, or making rude gestures if they believe they will never see that person again.

How to avoid road rage incidents

You can’t control how other people respond, act or react, but driving with courtesy, respect and patience can go a long way toward defusing incidents before they occur. Per AAA, try these tips to keep the peace:

• Maintain a safe following distance and avoid tailgating.
• Use turn signals to avoid cutting off fellow motorists.
• Allow other drivers to merge as needed.
• Avoid flashing high beams at other drivers.
• Use your horn responsibly and avoid blaring it unnecessarily or excessively.
• Be considerate, careful and cautious in parking lots.

If you find yourself in the heat of the moment, AAA suggests:

• Avoid eye contact with reckless, upset drivers.
• Don’t escalate aggression with more aggression.
• If you feel endangered by another driver, navigate to a public place like a police station, hospital or fire station.
• If an angry driver tries to confront or accost you, remain calm, and do not act in a way that will escalate the situation.
• Don’t hesitate to call 911 if you feel threatened or in danger.

Road rage vs. aggressive driving

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began using the term “aggressive driving” in the 1990s to describe recurring dangerous driving behavior and to differentiate it from road rage.

Aggressive driving vs. road rage

Aggressive driving is a traffic offense and includes intentional behaviors that pose a risk to other drivers. Road rage is a criminal offense and includes intentional violent and extreme behaviors that put other drivers at immediate risk.

In the 30 days immediately before responding to the survey, the AAA Foundation’s Annual Traffic Safety Culture Index reports that millions of drivers engaged in aggressive driving behaviors.

Gun violence on the road

The potential for involvement of weapons in road rage incidents is a real concern for American drivers, as 65% of respondents to a poll of U.S. residents reported that they keep at least one weapon in their vehicle. Poll respondents admitted to carrying the following  weapons:

• Pepper spray: 45%
• Gun: 40%
• Knife: 50%

On average in 2022, a person was shot and either injured or killed in a road rage incident every 16 hours.

• Since 2018, the number of road rage incidents resulting in injuries or deaths involving guns in the U.S. has increased annually. That year, at least 70 road rage shooting deaths occurred, and in 2022, that number doubled to 141.
• In a similar trend, road rage shooting injuries have more than doubled since 2018, skyrocketing in 2022 from 176 to 413.
• So far in 2024 in the U.S., there have already been 114 road rage shooting deaths and 362 related injuries recorded

States that do not require gun permits experience nearly triple the rate of road rage shooting victimization over those states that do.

• In 2022, nearly every state across the U.S. presented at least one road rage shooting victim.
• Southern U.S. states generally have weaker gun laws than the country overall and see the highest rates of road rage shooting victims — double the rates found in the Northeast, which has much stricter gun laws.
• Permitless states had 27% more road rage deaths and injuries involving a gun than states that required a permit, but did not allow broad authority for local law enforcement to deny a permit.

The five states with the highest rate of people shot during a road rage incident make up only 8% of the U.S. population, but 20% of road rage shooting victims (see table below).

Road rage by city and state

Though each state may lay claim to having the worst drivers in the U.S., a study by the AAA Foundation found that drivers in the Northeast and Midwest tend to exhibit more aggressive driving behavior than other regions of the country. However, fatal car injuries are more prevalent in the South.

Based on an examination of 2021 U.S. Department of Transportation data, ConsumerAffairs reports the top five cities in the U.S. with the worst driving conditions to be:

• Memphis, Tennessee
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Macon, Georgia
• St. Louis, Missouri

Comparatively, the U.S. cities with the safest drivers are:

1. Green Bay, Wisconsin
2. Cary, North Carolina
3. Oxnard, California
4. Bellevue, Washington
5. McKinney, Texas
6. Lynn, Massachusetts
7. Glendale, California
8. Pearland, Texas
9. College Station, Texas
10. Henderson, Nevada

Meanwhile, the NHTSA’s latest figures for the first half of 2023 overall traffic fatalities estimate that 19,515 died in vehicle crashes.

Road rage death statistics 2024

It can be difficult at times to obtain statistically accurate data around road rage-related deaths, as law enforcement may not report traffic accidents as caused by road rage behavior. Anecdotal reports suggest that thousands of accidents may be caused by road rage, resulting in several hundred annual fatalities.

According to the ConsumerAffairs Research Team:

• Memphis, Tennessee, has the highest rate of fatal car crashes related to aggressive driving — an average of 30 per month.
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana, holds the highest rate of drunk-driving fatalities at 2.2 times the national average.
• In Albuquerque, New Mexico, 34.6% of all fatal car accidents are related to excessive speed.
• Macon, Georgia, carries a rate of aggressive driving-related fatalities at double the national average and pedestrian fatalities over four times the national average. Georgia also holds three additional cities that rank in the top for worst drivers across the country: Athens, Atlanta and Augusta.

Read the full city-by-city study: Worst drivers in America

Road rage by gender

Studies show that 79% (nearly 8 in 10) of American drivers demonstrate aggressive behavior. However, males are more likely to exhibit road rage behaviors and have road rage directed at them. That said, there are more male drivers on the road overall, which could influence the prevalence.

Specifically, men tend to speed, tailgate, merge dangerously, and honk or make rude gestures at other drivers more often than women.

Road rage statistics by age

Age is a contributing factor in aggressive driving. Studies show that Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) and Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) are more likely to engage in aggressive driving than Gen X (born between 1965 and 1980) and Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), as well as experience more frustration when driving.

ConsumerAffairs reports that when young people use their cell phones while driving, they are more likely to adopt other aggressive or impulsive driving habits. Cellphone use does not directly increase crash risk. However, it is indicative of associated behaviors that could make accidents more likely, such as running stoplights, speeding, and aggressive driving maneuvers.

• Millennials were involved in more than 51% of all aggressive driving accidents
• Gen X took part in only 21% of all vehicle accidents involving rude gestures or aggressive driving
• Baby Boomers were involved in only 4.2% crashes due to reckless behavior
• Drivers between the ages of 25 to 39 were the most likely to tailgate than any other age bracket (66.7%)

Impact on car insurance premiums

Car insurance companies do not cover road rage-related incidents as damage or liability because aggressive driving is not considered accidental, but caused by risky driving behavior.

Not only will the cost of the accident not be covered by insurance, but your insurance rates will increase as a result of it, as insurance providers often take your driving history into account when determining rates.

According to a 2022 report by Policy Genius:

• Car insurance premiums in Hawaii can increase by as much as 96% after receiving a citation for road rage-related behaviors
• Four other states join that list with premium increases of over 50%
  • California: 74%
  • Michigan: 69%
  • North Carolina: 65%
  • New Jersey: 54%
• New York sits at the lowest, with an increase of up to 23% to premiums

References

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