Road rage in America is trending in a more dangerous direction, with new data suggesting confrontations between drivers are increasingly ending in violence rather than shouting matches.
Aggressive Driving Behaviors on the Rise
According to a recent AAA study, incidents of prolonged or aggressive honking have risen 50% since 2016, while deliberate cutoffs between drivers have increased by roughly two-thirds. The study found that 92% of respondents reported witnessing some form of aggressive or dangerous driving behavior.
Verbal Confrontations Declining, Violence Increasing
Interestingly, verbal confrontations between drivers have actually declined by 17%, according to the data. But that shift hasn’t made roads safer. Research from SafeMotorist.com found that firearms are now involved in roughly 37% of aggressive driving incidents.
The Numbers Behind the Trend
Data from the Everytown Support Fund shows that someone is shot in a road rage incident roughly every 18 hours in the United States. Last year, 483 people were shot in road rage-related incidents, and 118 of those shootings were fatal.
What’s Driving the Shift
Researchers point to a rise in firearm purchases during the pandemic, along with an increase in guns being left inside vehicles, as key contributing factors. There is currently limited data tracking exactly how these firearms are stored in vehicles, but the broader trend shows they are becoming more available during moments of driver frustration, raising the stakes of otherwise minor traffic disputes.