Over half of all drivers in this country reported at least one incident of substantial aggression, anger or road rage directed at another driver over a 1-year period. Some rude driving may lead to nothing more than annoyance. But aggressive behavior such as running a red light, failure to yield to a pedestrian or tailgating a car, truck or motorcycle can cause serious injuries or death.
The data
Insurify, the insurance quotes comparison website, compiled data on rude driving behavior that was dangerous, illegal and that often caused car accidents. Its findings were based upon a review of its database of over two million insurance applications and classified the most extreme forms of rude driving such as failure-to-stop violations, failure-to-yield violations, improper backing, passing where prohibited, tailgating, street racing and hit-and-run.
An average of 29.6 per 1,000 motorists were cited for at least one traffic violation that could be classified as rude. Failure to stop at a red traffic light was the most common rude behavior. Street racing was the least typical behavior and takes place 90% less frequently.
The study also reviewed the relationship between police density and citation rates for rude driving behavior. A higher proportion of police officers to drivers did not result in a higher proportion of drivers receiving citations for rude driving offenses.
Georgia ranked fifth
Georgia was ranked fifth for the rudest drivers in the country. There were 41.4 out of 1,000 drivers cited for this driving.
The state is particularly notorious for tailgating. Citations for tailgating in Georgia are 3.25 times greater than the national average.
Failing to yield the right of way and passing violations are also greater than the national average. Failure to yield was 84.0% higher while passing violations were 64.7% greater than the national averages.
The four states with worse ratings than Georgia are Virginia, Idaho, Wyoming, and New York. The sixth through tenth worst-ranked states are Ohio, Delaware, Iowa, Hawaii, and Wisconsin.
Congenial states
Kentucky was ranked the state with the politest drivers. Only 9.9 out of 1,000 motorists were cited for rude behavior offenses. It had lower to average rates of failure to yield violations, tailgating and hit-and-run violations.
Mississippi and Vermont were cited as the second and third most polite states.
Victims of an accident caused by an aggressive or negligent driver can suffer serious injuries or even a fatality. Attorneys can assist victims and their families with seeking compensation in a lawsuit.