23 Road Rage Statistics That Will Shock You

80% of drivers exhibit some type of road rage. An alarming 8 million act upon their road rage, causing harm to people and vehicles.

Should you be scared to be on the road? Read this shocking report to see just how road rage can affect you.

© Brandon Harer (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

Road Rage Frequency

1. How many drivers experience road rage?
   The statistics are shocking, if not scary. 80% of drivers admit to having some type of road rage during the course of a year.

2. How many drivers experience extreme road rage?
   At least 8 million drivers engage in some type of road rage each year. The habits they exhibited are rather alarming too. Ramming cars from behind and confronting drivers on foot are just a few of the scary tactics used.

3. What is road rage?
   According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, road rage is the act of causing harm to a person or vehicle while on the road. The act can occur with a vehicle or any other weapon. It also includes any acts of violence performed by a passenger in the vehicle.

4. What are the most common examples of road rage?
   Road rage has many faces. However, the most common tactics used are:
   • Blocking drivers from changing lanes,
     
   • Purposefully running drivers off the road,
     
   • Using weapons to cause harm to a person or vehicle.

5. Are men or women more likely to start the road rage incident?
   Men exhibit signs of road rage more than women. Where men really surpass women, however, is in the extreme road rage category. Men are 3 times as likely to get out of their car and fight the other driver.

6. What is the difference between road rage and aggressive driving?
   Aggressive driving is anything you do while driving that doesn't follow the law. It doesn't cause direct harm to another person or vehicle, though.

   A few examples include excessive speeding, tailgating, and giving hand gestures to other drivers. There is no physical harm to a person or vehicle, but the driving is still erratic and dangerous.

   In terms of the law, aggressive driving is a traffic violation. Road rage is a criminal offense.

7. What percent of fatal crashes is a result of aggressive driving?
   An alarming 66% of traffic deaths are a result of aggressive driving.

8. What is the most common aggressive driving behavior?
   Speeding, which accounts for 33% of all traffic-related deaths, is also the most common aggressive driving behavior. In a study conducted by AAA, 50% of those surveyed admitted to speeding at least 15% over the posted speed limit just in the last month.

Victims of Aggressive Drivers

9. How can you avoid aggressive drivers?
   Because there are so many road rage incidents occurring on a daily basis, you have to know how to avoid them. Most importantly, don't offend other drivers. Be courteous. Don't change lanes unless you have enough room. Don't follow too close to the car in front of you. Don't make hand gestures to other drivers and don't hog the left lane if someone wants to go faster than you.

   If someone does try to start something with you, don't engage them. Instead, remain calm and try to increase the distance between yourself and the offender.

10. How should you deal with an aggressive driver?
    Sometimes it's impossible to avoid an aggressive driver. It doesn't have to turn into road rage, though. Even if the other driver yells at you or gives you an unfriendly gesture, don't return the favor. Instead, take a deep breath and keep your eyes on the road. Putting distance between the two of you can defuse the situation.
    If you are in immediate danger, don't be afraid to call the police. Whatever you do, don't pull over to the side of the road. This gives the other driver easier access to you, putting your car and life in immediate danger.

Speeding

11. How many fatalities are caused by speeding?
    In 2015, the latest information available, there were 35,092 fatal crashes in the U.S. Of those crashes, 28% were caused by speeding.

12. How many speed-related fatalities occurred on the highway?
    Shockingly enough, less than half of the speeding-related deaths occurred on a highway. 25% of the crashes occurred on roads with a speed limit less than 35 miles per hour.

Fatalities

13. How many people are killed in car accidents?
    In 2015, 35,092 people died in a car accident. The three most common reasons were drunk driving, speeding, and lack of safety restraints. That's a 7% increase over the year 2014.

14. How many people die in car accidents as a result of drunk driving?
    Driving under the influence was responsible for 29% of the fatal crashes. More than 10,000 people died as a result of a poor human choice. This is a 3% increase over the previous year.

15. How many people who died in a car accident were not wearing a seatbelt?
    Wearing a seatbelt seems like such an easy decision. However, 48% of those involved in a fatal crash were not properly restrained.

16. How many motorcycle fatalities are there per year?
    Drivers of a motorcycle are 29 times more likely to die in a car accident than those in a passenger car.

Accidents by Age and Gender

17. How many teen drivers are involved in car accidents?
    223,600 teens are involved in car accidents per year. Of those accidents, 2,300 teens died as a result. Putting it into perspective, 6 teens died per day as a result of a car accident.

18. How likely are teens to get into a fatal car accident?
    New teen drivers, ages 16-19, get in fatal car accidents 3 times as many times as adult drivers.

19. Who dies in car accidents more, men or women?
    Men not only drive more miles than women, but they take more risks. They are more likely to speed, make unwise choices on the road, and not wear seatbelts. These choices make men more likely to die in car accidents than women.

The Odds of Being in an Accident

20. How many accidents are there per year?
    In 2015 alone, there were 6,296,000 accidents. This is a 3% increase from the prior year.

21. How often does the average driver have an accident?
    The car insurance industry estimates that the "average" driver gets in an accident once every 18 years.

22. What are the odds of dying in a car accident in 1 year?
    A person's odds of dying in a car accident in 1 year is 1 in 50,000. In fact, your chances of dying in a car accident are higher than in a motorcycle accident. Motorcyclists have a 1 in 77,000 chance of dying in an accident.

23. What are the odds of dying in a car accident in your lifetime?
    You have a 1 in 645 chance of dying in a car accident.

Bottom Line

You shouldn't be afraid to be on the road, but you should be aware. Know your surroundings. Keep a safe distance from other cars and always have a way "out." Don't engage other drivers and get help if you can't control your own anger. This could save not only your life, but the lives of others on the road.

Sources and References:

• AAA
  
• NHTSA
  
• Safe Motorist
  
• AAA Foundation
  
• IIHS
  
• NHTSA
  
• Insurance Information Institute
  
• CDC
  
• IIHS
  
• Insurance Information Institute