PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Have you noticed more drivers running red lights, racing, or cutting others off? Does it seem like road rage is getting worse? A new AAA study said it is.
The study released Tuesday by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety said nearly all – 96% of drivers -- admit to driving aggressively at some point over the past year. That’s up from 76% in 2016. Cutting off other vehicles is up 67% and angrily honking at another driver is up 47% since the last study in 2016.
“Anecdotally, we think that there’s some impatience and possibly hostility out on the road. But it seems that it’s now pretty pervasive,” AAA spokesperson Jim Lardear told KYW Newsradio.
The survey indicated that aggressive behavior behind the wheel is contagious. “The study found that the more drivers are exposed to aggressive driving behavior, the more likely they are to drive aggressively themselves,” Lardear said.
“It becomes a self-fulfilling cycle of aggressive driving and road rage.”
The study also said drivers in sports cars and big trucks are perceived as more aggressive, and drivers of those vehicles said they felt more dominant on the roads.
Lardear advises not engaging with aggressive drivers.
“We would suggest that you maybe breathe before you react. Think about what’s going on around you and just take a second to pause,” he said. “You don’t have to react to everything that happens.”
Driver Robert Showers of Sicklerville agrees with AAA’s advice to keep your distance from aggressive drivers.
“I’ve seen road rage. I choose not to participate in it. I just kind of slow down. If somebody wants to be first, let them be first,” Showers said.
The study did have some positive news on driver behavior. Since the last survey, tailgating is down 24% and yelling at other drivers is down 17%.