Angry upset man yelling and screaming while driving his car, Photo courtesy MD Magazine
You’re not alone if bad drivers make you want to blast your car horn. Americans have a trunkful of complaints about fellow motorists, according to the just released Expedia 2015 Road Rage Report. Issued to coincide with Memorial Day’s unofficial start to summer travel when millions more crowd the highways, the report chronicles behaviors we find as much fun as a flat tire.
The most aggravating drivers, according to 1,000 U.S. respondents:
• the Texter tops the list with 26%
• the Tailgater ranks second with 13%
• the Left Lane Hog comes in a close third with 12%
• the Crawler ranks fourth with 10%
Seems like the survey-takers have a blind spot. While 97% of respondents rate themselves as “careful” drivers, 61% admit to speeding and 29% fess-up to tailgating.
Rounding out the survey of road-rage generators:
• the Multitasker with 7%
• the Drifter also with 7%
• the Inconsiderate with 6%
• the Swerver with 5%
• the Speeder with 4%
• the Unappreciative with 3%
• the Honker with 2%
• the Red Light Racer with 1%
What do motorists do when they encounter such aggravating road behavior?
Nearly half of the respondents accelerate their own bad conduct. Of these reactors, 26% yell or use profane language; 17% make a rude hand gesture; and 4% exit their vehicle to confront the other driver. Of the survey-takers, 53% report being on the receiving end of these road rage acts and 13% recount feeling physically threated by another driver.
Guess who are the rudest roadsters in America? New York City wins the badge of shame with 42% of the votes, followed by Los Angeles with 32%, Chicago with 18% and Washington, D.C. with 16%.
Interestingly, 3 of the top 4 road rage inducers—the Left Lane Hog, the Crawler, and presumably, the Texter—slow down traffic flow. While those drivers irritate me, I worry more about the ones in the bottom of the survey. After all, the Drifter, the Swerver, the Speeder, and the Red Light Racer can cause serious accidents.
Heading my list of road offenders would be the Lane Cutter, that clown who usually passes you from the right lane, coming within about 6 inches of your car’s front fender.
The Expedia survey also touches on passenger manners. About half (52%) of respondents cite back-seat driving as the biggest annoyance, 12% lament the reluctant co-pilot (the one who won’t help navigate), and 10% dislike the Radio Hog, 8% the Snoozer, 7% the Shoe Remover, and 6% the Snacker. View more survey results in the infographic below.
Okay, I get back-seat driving, reluctant co-pilot and even Radio Hog. But do you really care if someone sleeps in the car, removes his shoes, or eats? Aren’t those some of the perks of taking your own vehicle as opposed to public transportation?
As we approach the summer highway onslaught, what behaviors anger, irritate or even outrage you?
Click graphic to view
Image courtesy MD Magazine
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