Generation Angry: Millennials Have The Most Road Rage in America
Generation Road Rage is taking their anger about everything on the highways and byways of America. A new study shows that 51% of millennials experience road rage more than any other…
Closeup portrait, angry young sitting woman pissed off by drivers in front of her and gesturing with hands. Road rage traffic jam concept. Woman is driving her car very aggressive and gives gesture with his fist
GettyGeneration Road Rage is taking their anger about everything on the highways and byways of America.
A new study shows that 51% of millennials experience road rage more than any other demographic.
According to Consumer Affairs, Generation Road Rage - Millennials - born between 1981 and 1996 - and Gen Z - born between 1997 and 2012 - are more likely to engage in aggressive driving than Gen X and Baby Boomers, as well as experience more frustration when driving.
I blame the basement dwelling. It can't be easy still living with your parents. I kid. I know it's because the boomers won't downsize. And Gen Xers are slacking too much to care if you use your blinker.
According to a new study from Consumer Affairs:
- Speeding is the cause of more than 18% of fatal crashes
- Aggressive driving is most commonly caused by running late
- 50% of all aggressive driving accidents involve Millennials
- 37% of reported aggressive driving instances involve a firearm, and 34% of drivers report carrying at least one firearm in their vehicle
- only 21% of all vehicle accidents involved rude gestures or aggressive driving involved Gen X. (Ed. Note: We are pretty chill.)
- Baby Boomers were involved in only 4.2% of crashes due to reckless behavior. (Ed. Note: Boomers control everything and own everything. What do they have to rage about?)
- 66.7% of drivers who were between the ages of 25 to 39 were most likely to tailgate than any other age bracket.
The report also found that when Gen Z and Millennials use their cellphones while driving, they're more aggressive. "Using a cell phone could make accidents more likely such as running stoplights, speeding, and aggressive maneuvers," the study reported.
There's also a gender gap.
"Studies show that 79% (nearly 8 in 10) of American drivers demonstrate aggressive behavior," the study reported. "However, males are more likely to exhibit road rage behaviors and have road rage directed at them. That said, there are more male drivers on the road overall, which could influence the prevalence. Specifically, men tend to speed, tailgate, merge dangerously, and honk or make rude gestures at other drivers more often than women."
Boston Road Rage is Bad, But It’s Not the Worst
Boston road rage incidents and our Masshole driving reputation have to be good enough to make the Top 10 in the country, right?
Wrong! For once, Boston misses the cut on a dubious Top 10 list. Granted, we're No. 11, so we just barely missed the Top 10. But still, you gotta take those wins where you can get 'em!
It's a funny thing, because just yesterday I was sharing this piece on how Massachusetts ranks in the Top 10 in the country on life expectancy. I quipped on how the ranking was surprising to me, given the dual anger-bringers of traffic and ire directed at our local sports teams. Anger can lead to heart problems and strokes, and those can lead to early death. Not the case, as it turns out. At least not now.
So now we turn our attention to this study from Fractl. Which cities have the most road rage? They asked 1,000 people on Twitter, and here are some of the stats the came away with:
Boston Road Rage is Bad, But It's Not the Worst
So give yourself a pat on the back if you're a Boston driver: you're awful--but not atrocious--when it comes to road rage. Let's all do a victory lap together and see which cities beat us out. And please, no matter if you're in Boston or one of these other cities, please drive safely. With almost two-thirds of drivers keeping weapons in their car, clearly you are not safe.
