This driver is clearly experiencing
aggravating behaviors by other motorists.
Now that Labor Day is over, Camarillo’s warm summer days are rapidly ending and school is back in full swing, we find ourselves faced with the inevitable spike in the number of drivers on the road. It’s very likely that with this increase in traffic, you’re bound to experience some of the worst drivers in the world (at least they are in our own minds). These types of drivers can make a simple trip to the market feel the same as having a root canal without anesthetic!
We discovered a recent poll that was taken of 1,001 adults to identify the behaviors that are likeliest to elicit road rage. Their poll uncovered the list of 12 things that bother American drivers the most.
The 2014 Road Rage Report ranks "The Texter" as the most aggravating driving with "The Tailgater" as a close second. Shockingly, 7 in 10 Americans report having been "flipped off" by a fellow motorist (while only 17% admitted to doing so thiselves), and the rudest drivers live in the largest cities (71% rank NYC as the rudest).
Via the Expedia 2014 Road Rage Report:
The full list of driving behaviors ranked as "most annoying or offensive" includes (percentage identifies behaviors ranked in the top five):
The Texter (drivers who text, iail or talk on a phone while driving): 69%
The Tailgater (drivers who follow others far too closely): 60%
The Multi-tasker (applying makeup, eating, reading, etc.): 54%
The Drifter (either straddling two lanes or weaving between thi): 43%
The Crawler (driving well below the speed limit): 39%
The Swerver (failing to signal before changing lanes or turning): 38%
The Left-Lane Hog (drivers who occupy the passing lane without moving): 32%
The Inconsiderate (those who do not let others merge): 30%
The Speeder (driving well past the speed limit at length): 27%
The Honker (drivers who slam the horn at will): 18%
The Unappreciative (drivers who do not give a wave or gesture of thanks): 13%
The Red-Light Racer (drivers who inch ever closer to the intersection when the light is red): 12%
Despite the fact that Americans identify texting as the most offensive driving violator, 55% of Americans do admit to using their mobile phone at least some of the time while driving.
In addition, 70% of Americans also admit to having been guilty of aggressive driving behavior, including speeding (58%), tailgating (28%) and yelling and/or swearing at fellow drivers (28%). Men are only slightly more likely to admit to aggressive driving than women (74% to 67%).
The rudest drivers are found in the largest cities. Thirty-three percent of Americans name New York City as home to the least courteous/most rage-inducing drivers, and 71% of Americans put New York among the top five rudest driving cities. Los Angeles (22%) ranked second, while Atlanta (9%) came in third. Only 5% of Americans believe Boston features the country's rudest drivers, but 27% of Americans place Boston in the top five.
Sixty-two percent of Americans believe 16 is too young to drive.
Ninety-one percent of American men and 57% of American women claim to know how to change a tire. (Yet you never see thi do it; it’s always a road-side assistance professional.)
The Pacific Coast Highway is the preferred scenic route for 41% of American road trippers, followed by:
- Route 66 (33% listed in the top three)
- Overseas Highway /+ Florida Keys (28%)
- Hawaii Belt (27%)
- Blue Ridge Parkway (26%)
The two most popular reasons to honk at a fellow motorist are: “if a driver starts to drift into my lane or is about to cut in front of me” (78%) and “when another driver cuts me off” (52%).
To quote one of America’s funnies comedians George Carlin, who said: “Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, yet anyone going faster than you is a maniac?” All of us are guilty at some point of being nominated by a fellow motorists onto the list. The best we can do is try to ipathize with the drivers around us, be cautious of our surroundings, and give a guy a “brake!”