Austin-based Zebra Insurance has conducted a study saying 20% of drivers now feel more frustration with each other on the road even though 35% of those who responded say they are driving less than in 2019.
According to the study, 95% of drivers say they had seen examples of road rage or aggressive driving in the past year, but just 64% of drivers admitted to engaging in either activity themselves. The description of "aggressive driving" included 82% of drivers saying they had seen someone change lanes without signaling, 80% of drivers reporting distracted driving, 74% reported someone "speeding in heavy traffic," and 73% saw someone "weaving in and out of traffic."
"Distracted drivers actually anger Texans the most," says Zebra Insurance Agent Danielle Marchell. "Two in three Texas drivers found they're most likely to be frustrated on those highways and freeways by distracted drivers."
Examples of road rage include obscene gestures, yelling at another driver, throwing objects and intentionally trying to bump another car or force it from the road.
So far this month, Dallas Police have responded to two separate fatal shootings attributed to road rage. Marchell says, in addition to most people encountering a form of aggressive driving, Texas is above the national average for the number of people who keep a weapon in their car.
"It's all the more reason to be careful and be cautious of road rage. Our study found 28% of Texas drivers do keep a weapon or safety device in their car, the most common being pepper spray, but drivers carry knives as well as guns," Marchell says.
Zebra's study shows 15% of drivers keep pepper spray in the car, 12% keep knives and 7% keep guns.
"It's pretty alarming to think seven percent of Texans have a gun. That's a little bit more than I would like," Marchell says.
Over the past year, about 10% of drivers said they had reported a road rage incident to police.
Of those who responded to the survey, 52% say they are driving "about the same" amount as 2019, 35% are driving less and 13% are driving more. Fifty-six percent said they felt most frustrated on the highways; other locations generation frustration included intersections with traffic lights or around a shopping center.
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