How does road rage affect your driving skills and judgment?
Road rage affects your driving skills and judgment by distracting you from safe driving habits. Anger causes you to make quick decisions you wouldn’t make while you were calm. Road rage drivers yell, honk, and even ram other vehicles.
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Ty Stewart
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Ty Stewart is the founder and CEO of SimpleLifeInsure.com. He started researching and studying about insurance when he got his first policy for his own family. He has been featured as an insurance expert speaker at agent conventions and in top publications. As an independent licensed insurance agent, he has helped clients nationwide to secure affordable coverage while making the process simpl...
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UPDATED: Mar 25, 2024
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UPDATED: Mar 25, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right car insurance coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident car insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one car insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single company.
Our car insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different car insurance companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
On This Page
- Road rage affects your ability to think clearly
- Don’t respond to road rage drivers
- Report road rage drivers to the police
Did you know that road rage affects how you drive? If you’re not careful, anger can put you in an unfavorable predicament on the roadway, and it can even lead to confrontations with other drivers.
But what should you do about other road rage drivers? Don’t worry — we’re here to help you avoid road rage.
Our article explains how road rage affects your driving ability and why car insurance companies increase rates for aggressive drivers.
How does road rage affect your driving skills and judgment?
Road rage causes reckless driving and impairs your judgment. When you’re angry, you’ll make decisions that go against safe driving habits and adversely alter your driving skills.
Most road rage incidents involve someone driving unsafely, risking damage to another vehicle, a driver, and passengers. Vulgar comments and hard braking are also considered road rage behaviors because they harass other drivers.
But let’s examine a complete list of actions that define aggressive driving and road rage.
Comparing Aggressive Driving to Road Rage
| Aggressive Driving Behaviors | Road Rage Behaviors |
|---|---|
| Tailgating | Making profane gestures |
| Speeding in traffic | Intentionally hitting another vehicle |
| Cutting off drivers | Using headlights or brakes to harass another driver |
| Driving through red lights | Bullying cars off the street |
| Entering in and out of heavy traffic | |
| Rapidly changing lanes |
Although these driving behaviors are in different categories, they all increase your risk of becoming involved in a car crash or worse. Also, if you’re contributing to road rage, you’ll miss warning signs on the road.
A diamond-shaped sign is a warning sign in most states.
Road rage is one of the most significant distractors while operating a motor vehicle. Ultimately, you can avoid becoming a contributor to road rage by ignoring enraged drivers and calling the police.
Does alcohol consumption affect road rage drivers?
Yes, it does. In fact, you’re more likely to contribute to road rage while under the influence of alcohol. Road rage affects a motorist by impairing their judgment and driving, and alcohol intensifies those emotions.
Drinking coffee after consuming alcohol doesn’t numb those signals in your brain, and it can make your state of mind even worse when you’re enraged.
Read more: Road Rage: Definition and Consequences
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Five Reasons Why You Should Call the Police on a Road Rage Driver
Regardless of how you feel about the police, responding or retaliating against a road rage driver is never a good idea. Road rage incidents can escalate into violent or fatal exchanges. You should report a road rage driver to law enforcement as soon as possible.
Here are five reasons why you should call the police on a road rage driver:
- The road rage driver is following you
- A road rage driver flashes a weapon
- You were hit, or almost hit, by a road rage driver
- The road rage driver repeatedly slams on their brakes in front of you
- A road rage driver throws something at your car
Don’t speed up to race a road rage driver on the roadway. Reduce your speed so that you can think clearly. Take a photo of the road rage driver’s vehicle and license plate, and then report the driver to the police.
Several states allow you to report reckless drivers. Therefore, we recommend that you don’t engage with an aggressive and angry driver.
Which gender is more prone to road rage?
Female drivers are less likely than males to contribute to road rage. This fact is one of the reasons why car insurance companies provide cheaper rates to women who are primary policyholders.
But what are the statistics for road rage by gender? Let’s review the table below to determine the aggressive driving percentages.
Road Rage/Aggressive Driving Percentage by Gender
| Road Rage/Aggressive Driving Act | Percent of Males that Contribute to Road Rage | Percent of Females that Contribute to Road Rage |
|---|---|---|
| Tailgating | 56% | 46% |
| Yelling | 50% | 44% |
| Honking | 49% | 40% |
| Showing an obscene gesture | 40% | 25% |
| Blocking drivers from changing lanes | 29% | 20% |
| Cutting off other drivers | 16% | 8% |
| Confronting other drivers | 6% | 2% |
| Bump or ramming another vehicle | 4% | 1% |
More than half of all road rage events involve men. Men are also more likely to become involved in physical exchanges with other drivers during road rage incidents.
Which age groups are involved in more road rage incidents?
Age is also a factor in road rage statistics. According to the car insurance industry, teen drivers are riskier motorists. But it’s not the same for road rage. Let’s review the percentage of road rage incidents by various age groups.
Road Rage/Aggressive Driving Acts by Age Group
| Road Rage/Aggressive Driving Act | Ages 16 through 18 | Ages 19 through 24 | Ages 25 through 39 | Ages 40 through 59 | Age 60 through 74 | Age 75 and older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tailgating | 49% | 46% | 67% | 51% | 39% | 36% |
| Yelling | 41% | 52% | 52% | 50% | 40% | 24% |
| Honking | 34% | 44% | 54% | 47% | 37% | 27% |
| Showing an obscene gesture | 26% | 40% | 43% | 33% | 23% | 15% |
| Blocking drivers from changing lanes | 12% | 28% | 28% | 26% | 19% | 18% |
| Cutting off other drivers | 9% | 15% | 17% | 12% | 7% | 5% |
| Confronting other drivers | 2% | 4% | 6% | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Bump or ramming another vehicle | 3% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 1% | 3% |
The ages most likely to contribute to road rage are between 25 and 59. Senior drivers are less likely to engage in road rage incidents.
Does road rage affect car insurance rates?
Yes, it does. Road rage events often lead to traffic violations and car crashes. Both of these incident types raise your insurance rates by at least 3%. Let’s determine how various traffic violations affect auto insurance rates.
Car Insurance Rate Increase by Driving Violation
| Traffic Infractions | Insurance Rate Increase by Dollar Amount Per Month | Insurance Rate Increase by Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Hit and run | $101 | 82% |
| DUI | $91 | 74% |
| Refusal of breathalyzer/chemical test | $91 | 74% |
| Racing | $90 | 74% |
| Reckless driving | $86 | 70% |
| Driving with a suspended license | $77 | 62% |
| At-fault accident | $51 | 42% |
| Driving with an open container | $43 | 35% |
| Operating a car without permission | $40 | 33% |
| Passing a school bus | $33 | 27% |
| Following too closely | $29 | 23% |
| Improper passing | $29 | 23% |
| Driving wrong way/wrong lane | $28 | 23% |
| Failure to stop at a red light | $28 | 23% |
| Failure to yield | $28 | 22% |
| Illegal turn | $28 | 23% |
| Speeding | $28 | 23% |
| Speeding in school zone | $26 | 21% |
| Driving too slowly | $25 | 21% |
| Distracted driving/cell phone violation | $24 | 20% |
| Driving with expired registration | $13 | 11% |
| Failure to show documents | $11 | 9% |
| Not-at-fault accident | $8 | 7% |
| Failure to use child safety restraint | $5 | 4% |
| Failure to wear a seat belt | $5 | 4% |
| Driving without lights | $4 | 3% |
Hit-and-run and DUI offenses generate the most expensive rates, and these infractions sometimes involve road rage incidents. The increase in insurance rates is another incentive for avoiding road rage.
If your violations are too severe, the insurance company will cancel your policy. Your car insurance quotes at the next company will also produce costly rates.
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What is a road rage driving test?
Road rage driving tests are used to measure your driving habits to determine if you frequently participate in road rage. These unofficial tests are used to make you more aware of your driving behavior.
Although these tests have little effect on changing a driver’s mind, they collect information that can be analyzed later. But don’t worry — road rage driving tests won’t disclose your identity in future statistics.
How Road Rage Affects Your Driving Skills and Judgment: The Bottom Line
Road rage isn’t good for any driver. You can get charged with a misdemeanor for road rage. And if your road rage antics physically harm someone, you could be prosecuted for a felony.
De-escalate road rage conflicts by reducing your speed if you’re behind a reckless driver. Also, avoid any confrontation with an aggressive driver. Contact the police as a last resort when a road rage driver insists on being disruptive.
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Ty Stewart
Licensed Insurance Agent
Ty Stewart is the founder and CEO of SimpleLifeInsure.com. He started researching and studying about insurance when he got his first policy for his own family. He has been featured as an insurance expert speaker at agent conventions and in top publications. As an independent licensed insurance agent, he has helped clients nationwide to secure affordable coverage while making the process simpl...
Licensed Insurance Agent
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.