Aggressive driving is a problematic issue, especially when that aggression becomes rage.
Road rage is a common problem across the nation, but Florida holds the number one spot in terms of road rage incidents involving firearms.
Statistics of road rage and aggressive driving
Bankrate takes a look at road rage statistics. Aggressive driving, i.e. the precursor to road rage in many instances, causes over 50 percent of all crashes that have at least one fatality. Per year, road rage itself causes 30 deaths and 1,800 injuries.
Florida held the number one spot for road rage cases involving guns in the reports from the years 2014 to 2016. There were 147 road rage cases involving firearms in that timeframe. The worst cities for this behavior were Tampa and Miami. Of drivers surveyed, 78 percent also stated that they committed at least one act of aggressive driving within 30 days, too.
What is road rage?
Understanding road rage is one of the first steps toward combating it. Many different actions fall under the umbrella of “road rage”. However, the most common examples are honking horns, yelling, or tailgating.
The aforementioned factors play into over half of all crashes involving road rage. Less common road rage gestures include making rude signals to other drivers, or even side-swiping or intentionally hitting other vehicles. There are cases where drivers attempt to drive one another off the road, too.
Road rage is illegal, and drivers found guilty of engaging may face criminal penalties or other sanctions, especially in the event that road rage actions led to a crash.
