You’re running late for an appointment and hit a traffic jam. Or maybe someone cuts you off. How do you respond? Driving can be stressful, but feeling angry when behind the wheel could lead to aggressive driving, distracted driving or even an accident.
What Is Road Rage?
Aggressive driving can take many forms, like tailgating, weaving and speeding. It happens a lot: One survey found that nearly 80 percent of drivers expressed significant anger or aggression behind the wheel at least once over the course of the prior year. The consequences can be serious: Aggressive driving played a role in 56 percent of fatal crashes over a five-year period, according to one analysis.
Here’s what to know about road rage, including tips on staying calm and what to do when confronted with an aggressive driver.
Road Rage Factors
Here are some common factors that often contribute to road rage incidents or aggressive driving behavior.
- Traffic delays
- Heavy traffic, sitting at stoplights, looking for a parking space or even waiting for passengers can increase a driver’s anger level.
- Running late
- Running behind for a meeting or appointment can cause drivers to be impatient.
- Anonymity
- If drivers feel that they probably won’t see other drivers again, they may feel more comfortable engaging in risky driving behaviors like tailgating, cutting people off, excessive honking or making rude gestures.
- Disregard for others and the law
- Some drivers may think the rules don’t apply to them.
- Habitual or learned behavior
- For some drivers, aggressive driving may be the norm.
Most Common Forms Of Road Rage
- Tailgating
- Yelling
- Honking in anger
- Making angry gestures
- Trying to block another vehicle from changing lanes
- Cutting off another vehicle on purpose
- Getting out of the vehicle to confront another driver
- Bumping or ramming another vehicle on purpose
How to Avoid Road Rage
Make sure you have the right car insurance policy to protect yourself from aggressive drivers or if you find yourself the victim of a road rage incident.
Before You Get Behind The Wheel
- Don’t rush. Give yourself time to get where you’re going; you’re less likely to become impatient and take unnecessary risks.
- Cool off. If you’re upset, take time to calm down.
What To Remember When Driving
- Give other drivers a break. If someone is driving slowly, keep in mind they might be lost.
- Use hand gestures wisely. Keep gestures positive—say, waving to a driver who lets you in when merging.
- Don’t tailgate. Always keep a safe distance from the car in front, no matter how slowly they might be driving.
- Lay off the horn. Honking out of frustration won’t solve any problems; it will just increase the stress level for everyone on the road.
- Don’t stop to confront another driver. Stopping could lead to a dangerous situation for everyone.
If Another Driver Acts Aggressively
- Stay away. Safely change lanes, gradually slow down or even exit the highway to keep a safe distance from the aggressive driver.
- Don’t reciprocate. Ignore the temptation to respond to the other driver; it could cause the situation to escalate. Don’t make eye contact.
- Don’t stop. Stopping could lead to a person-to-person confrontation, which could be dangerous.
- Watch your back. If you’re worried that the other driver is following you, keep your doors locked and drive to the nearest police station.
Taking a defensive driving course could help you stay safer on the road; it could also qualify you for a discount on car insurance. Search for a course near you at geico.com.
Read more: Distracted Driving: Here’s Why You Should Pay Attention
Sources 1 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2 AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety 3 Insurance Information Institute
Brian says,
I live in an area that doesn’t get a lot of snow or ice in the winter and was behind an overly cautious driver on a snow/slush-covered hill the other day. The person was driving so slowly that I thought I would lose traction and slide or get stuck. You have to travel at a certain speed in order to maintain sufficient forward momentum. This kind of overly-cautious driving can be as dangerous in the snow/ice as speeding and certainly counts as discourteous driving, in my opinion. Drivers need to drive at a safe speed, and going as slowly as possible isn’t always the safest way to drive in icy weather.
Albert Hess says,
Brian, i live in the northeast, going as slowly as possible is in fact the safest way to drive in icy weather.
Ken says,
I think the problem is that we tend to give others control over our emotions. When the other driver does something we don’t expect or that offends us and we get angry. Then we stew for hours and create other situations that are just as annoying to other drivers.
Most times the person who angered us in the first place forgot about it almost mediately and went on about their day as happy as if they were in their right mind.
While we on the other hand end up stewing about it for hours or even days.
The question to ask ourselves is, “Do we really want to give someone else that much control over our emotions?”
Personally I don’t think they deserve to have all that control, so we should make a conscious effort to take it back away from them.
Christian says,
How ironic, I was talking to a coworker the other night about road rage! Being a truck driver, you definitely need to keep your cool. Easier said than done, but a good percentage of the drivers here are Terrible…. texting and driving is pointless, if I do it (which I dont), its about a $2000 fine and I believe about 11k for the company. We should enforce that law and bump up the fines, rather than put up signs and not follow through, I’m focused on the road, and everyone else should be too, for everyone’s safety. Also, 53 ft trailers don’t stop on a dime, if you cut me off, you’ll most likely be getting the horn. Stay out of the no-zone. And when it comes to merging especially near construction zones, let us in, traffic usually isn’t moving fast, do you really need to cut ahead or around a truck? Sorry for the long comment, but there are a lot of bad drivers out there, I’m not saying I’m a great driver by any means, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I see multiple accidents everyday, and I’m not included.
Norma says,
I don’t speed, yet I was pulled over & told I did 80 in a 65. I think the cop shot the wrong car because I did not pass anyone, and when I stopped, the other cars were literally flying past us going at least 80. I had no priors. I just paid it because I could not afford a lawyer and had no proof.
Marylou says,
Someone here, named Vonnie, accurately said that speed limits apply to all lanes and I agree. However, there is one situation not mentioned here about staying on a lane when following the GPS directions. Sometimes, the GPS says to be on the left lane for an approaching exit. While I observe speed limits; in this situation, occasionally, to avoid road rage directed at me, I go over it, just to get out of someone’s way who does not care to observe the rules. I often have to drive a two and a half hours-each way- commute and always encounter every kind of driver described here and others. Such as sleepers/nodding-head hitting the steering wheel, texting maniacs, practically laying down with one leg on the dashboard and arms stretched to reach the wheel people, newspaper/magazine/book reading individuals and ‘now you see them-now you don’t’ who search their car floors while on the road.
Francesco Luisis says,
Thank You
Barbara Reed says,
people should really stay calm ,i feel like that’s the big problem and all the above, life is to short and precious for all this anger, take a look around you everyone is moving to fast for everything , what’s the big hurry . If your late that’s your problem but don’t push yourself into a early grave, or some one else. think about your love one’s they need you, so just slow down .
nathalie says,
I moved out to Montana a few years ago, and have found that the majority of people here drive like clockwork on 2-lane highways (& 1-lane highways which have a passing lane open up on the left every few miles or so, or allow for passing in the opposite lane.)
They drive in the left lane only when they want to drive faster than the person ahead of them. They get over to pass, then get right back over to the right lane ahead of the slower driver. I rarely see drivers, regardless of their speed, drive in the left for any reason other than quickly passing someone.
Also, I have been either tailgaited (while driving the speed limit) as well as been frustrated by people driving way below for no apparent reason (I.e., packed up car, children on board, etc), but I’ve been able to just pull over a bit to allow them to pass (when being tailgated) or just pass them (when stuck behind someone).
It is difficult to stay calm when a driver is tailgating me, especially when they are free to pass me. Or when they’re also speeding and I can’t pull over to let them pass.
But it’s just as difficult to stay calm when behind a slow driver who is aware I would like to pass and can’t do so unless they pull over, and even though they could, they ignore me. I am not sure what that is about… Since I do for others, even if I am driving the speed limit and they’re still tailgating me…
Leaving early definitely makes a difference in my own stress levels since I am less frustrated when I do get stuck behind others, regardless of the reason for their driving slowly. And letting tailgaters pass immediately also makes a difference. Still, I think if people just went back to flashing their high beams *once* to indicate a desire to pass the driver ahead (while maintaining a safe following distance), and likewise people were just cool about pulling over to let them pass, things would calm down a bit.
The most important change though would definitely be that we all need to work on realizing and remembering that we have no clue what other drivers are experiencing and thinking. Speeders might be rushing to a loved one’s side, and slow drivers might be ill or low on gas or even distressed about personal issues. We all end up driving in ways at some time or another that will make another driver lose their minds and vice versa. All we can really do is try to remember that staying alive and in one piece is of greater importance than focusing on how annoyed we are by another driver.
Cameron says,
As a trucker I see many reasons to get angry and upset but I also know that if I act on my feelings while driving I could possibly hurt or kill someone and jus take a deep breath and pay attention to my actions not everyone else! The music is what helps me the most!
J oseph Baptist says,
Awesome info…… THX.
Bob says,
The speed limit is the same in the left lane as it is in the right if there going that slow just pass them. Don’t b a jerk and tailgate it is very dangerous and also very rude
Michelle says,
I think road rage has to do with the mental state of the person driving and nothing else. These people are iLL and should not be driving. No one can control how people drive. Legally following the speed limit is all that is required and abiding by laws. Everything else is noise. If you can’t adjust your driving to all the iLL people who operate vehicles, you should not drive. The best advise when encountering one of these iLL people is get away from them quickly and do not interact with them in anyway.
Sive says,
Warren Buffett once said “It can take a lifetime to build a good reputation but only minutes th destroy it”. Don’t let some idiot on the road ruin everything you have going for yourself bc they’re unhappy with their life. Just get out of the way and let the moron pass. A few second or few minute delay to your destination by the inconvenience of another driver is better than never arriving at all bc someone, usually the innocent one, ends up dead or seriously injured, from a trivial incident that could have been avoided. Here’s to safe and successful driving, cheers my friends.
BC says,
Self centeredness, or willful attempts to control others.
Etamni says,
I disagree with item 5 — listen to music you enjoy. While that may improve your mood, it decreases your ability to hear your vehicle and others, especially if your windows are rolled up. Sirens, screeching tires, a funny sound from your vehicle, and honking where not expected, are all things that can alert you to a problem that can be avoided with enough warning.
I recently had a situation where I was trying to alert another driver that his tail lights were out. It was after dark and the other vehicle’s headlights were on. He was listening to music and had his windows up. While in the next lane at a red light, I lightly tapped my motorcycle horn but he didn’t hear me. I tried waving, but he didn’t see me. His head was bouncing in time to his music, which I could hear. The light turned green and he pulled away without ever having looked my way. I’m sure he was enjoying his music, however!