Unfortunately, road rage is common: According to the American Automobile Association’s 2022 Road Safety Index, 89% of American drivers report having been the victim of aggressive behavior on the road.
Fox News Digital has reported a series of incidents in which angry drivers have struck, assaulted, or even killed people on the roads.
Pennsylvania State Police said Tuesday that a 59-year-old man shot a 40-year-old driver in the head on the busy Pennsylvania Turnpike. The victim died at a hospital a few days later, police said. Fox 29.
Police located a tractor-trailer linked to the shooting and found the 59-year-old suspect dead inside the vehicle from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Massachusetts road rage attack ends when driver makes U-turn and hits woman: prosecutors
LendingTree Inc. analyzed a dataset from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis and Reporting System to identify crashes involving risky driving and look for trends. (iStock)
Between 2014 and 2023, road rage incidents led to 481 shootings. trace.
Online loan marketplace LendingTree compiled data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatal Crash Analysis and Reporting System on 2022 road rage behaviors (aggressive driving, road rage, distracted driving, distracted driving, impaired driving and careless driving) to determine which drivers are most likely to become reckless when behind the wheel.
Here are five things drivers should know about road rage.
1. Chevrolet and Ford drivers take the lead
According to LendingTree’s research, Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-150 vehicles were the most common vehicles involved in road rage fatalities, with Chevrolet and Ford being the vehicles most commonly driven by drivers involved in fatal road rage incidents.
The study found that drivers of various truck models were most likely to cause fatal accidents involving aggressive behavior, with Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-150 drivers coming out on top.
The study found that there were a total of 3,514 fatal accidents caused by road rage behavior, with Silverado drivers causing 133 accidents nationwide in 2022, more than any other make or model. In second place were Ford F-150 drivers, who caused 95 accidents.
Thrown water bottle sparks violent shooting between Florida truckers: sheriff’s office
An analysis of traffic fatality data found that the Chevrolet Silverado was a popular choice for aggressive or careless drivers, and overall, Chevrolets were involved in the most road rage fatalities, but the car’s popularity could also be influencing the statistics. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The popularity of these vehicles plays a role in these findings: Both pickup trucks have been the best-selling models in the U.S. for many years, according to Statistica. Chevrolet and Ford did not respond to requests for comment.
According to data compiled in the study, of the 3,514 fatal crashes involving aggressive behavior, Chevrolet vehicles accounted for 439, while Ford vehicles were involved in 412. Honda, the third-leading automaker by number of crashes, was involved in 275 crashes.
Popularity also plays a role here: LendingTree says its model was the most popular in 29 of the 50 states in 2022.
Notably, motorcycle makers Harley-Davidson and Yamaha ranked sixth and ninth, respectively, on the top 10 list of automakers involved in fatal accidents.
The relative danger of riding a motorbike may have influenced these figures: the fatality rate for motorcyclists in 2021 was 30.20 per kilometre travelled, about 24 times higher than the 1.26 fatality rate for passenger car occupants.
Florida man allegedly threw pasta at driver during road rage over ‘glaring headlights’
2. Men are responsible for approximately 80% of fatal accidents caused by aggressive or careless driving.
Of the 3,514 traffic fatalities due to these factors, 2,756 were men, according to LendingTree research. In comparison, women accounted for just 19.1% of fatalities.
According to data collected by the American Automobile Association’s latest Traffic Safety Culture Index, men are more likely to exhibit and be the target of road rage behaviors, which can include following too closely, unsafe merging, honking and rude gestures.
The survey found that men are five times more likely to insure a truck, with the Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-150 being the most popular vehicles among male insurance buyers.
New York road rage incident comes to bloody end on upscale Upper East Side after 17 miles
White Ford F-150 pickup side view (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
3. Millennials are the most likely to be involved in fatal crashes involving aggressive behavior, surpassing younger generations.
Of the accidents surveyed, millennial drivers (those who will be between 26 and 41 years old in 2022) accounted for 35.7% of the accidents.
Though they make up just 13.3% of the total U.S. population, Gen Z, those aged 18 to 25, accounted for 21.4% of deaths that year.
The study authors wrote that inattention was likely a factor: Younger drivers are more likely to make serious mistakes behind the wheel or underestimate dangerous situations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
From there, based on the data, it appears that the older a driver is, the less likely they are to exhibit road rage. Gen Xers accounted for 20.7% of accidents, while Baby Boomers made up 13.8% of accidents. Silent Generation drivers, who will be between 77 and 94 years old in 2022, accounted for just 3.5% of accidents.
A Brooklyn man was stabbed after a 17-mile road rage incident that began in Queens in April. (FNTV)
4. Louisiana has far more fatal road rage incidents than any other state.
The study found that of the 852 fatal crashes that occurred in Louisiana in 2022, 40.1% involved aggressive behavior or distracted driving.
That’s significantly higher than the second-placed state, Delaware, where 25.9% of the state’s 143 fatal crashes were the result of road rage-related behavior.
Other more populous states have higher numbers of these accidents: In Florida, reckless driving was responsible for 700 of the 3,298 total fatal accidents, but this only accounted for 21.2% of all accidents.
In contrast, Maine had zero fatal crashes due to dangerous driving, while Mississippi and Minnesota each had one fatal crash due to dangerous driving in 2022.
5. How can I protect myself from an angry driver?
Rob Butt, an insurance agent with LendingTree, urged drivers to understand the main causes of car accidents and avoid them.
“This includes speeding, impairment and distraction,” he said. “We can each choose to avoid these behaviors, and unfortunately, too many of us choose not to.”
Butt said if you encounter an angry driver, don’t engage.
“Regardless of who is responsible for the unsafe behavior, when someone is yelling, honking or gesturing at you, you never want to escalate the situation,” he said. “In fact, you should avoid eye contact altogether.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
If the other person escalates the situation, “you should consider driving yourself to a safe public place or the nearest police station to get out of harm’s way,” Bhatt said.
