Just How Angry Are Connecticut Drivers? New Report Ranks Road Rage

CONNECTICUT — Whatever the cause of the underlying stress and anxiety — COVID, economic uncertainty, the political atmosphere — no one can deny that violent road rage incidents are on the rise nationwide.

In 2022, 413 people were injured in road rage shootings, a 135 percent increase from 2018. In some states, such as Connecticut, aggressive, confrontational driving tends to be more common, according to a new report from personal finance website Forbes Advisor.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration traces the first use of the phrase "aggressive driving" to the 1990s as a label for a category of dangerous on-the-road behaviors. At the extreme end of that behavior spectrum is road rage, a criminal offense.

To determine which states have the most confrontational drivers, Forbes Advisor conducted a survey of 10,000 licensed drivers and compared all 50 states across nine key metrics. Connecticut's score of 93.46 out of 100 placed it at No. 7 on Forbes Advisor's list of "States with the Most Confrontational Drivers."

Drilling down, Connecticut ranked second worst for the percentage of drivers who have been tailgated (71.5 percent) and third worst for the percentage of drivers who have been forced off the road (20.5 percent).

The Nutmeg State also ranked seventh worst for both the percentage of drivers who said another driver has exited their vehicle to yell at or fight with them (25 percent) and the percentage of drivers who said another driver has honked at them in frustration (70 percent).

Additionally, 49.5 percent of Connecticut motorists said that another driver has cut them off on purpose, the ninth-highest amount in the nation.

Arizona tops Forbes' list of states with the worst road rage, while Delaware is home to the most polite drivers in the nation.

Five of the top 10 states with the most confrontational drivers are in the South, including West Virginia, Virginia, Oklahoma, Alabama and Texas. Four of the top 10 states with the most polite drivers are in the Pacific and West, including Idaho, Wyoming, Washington and New Mexico.

But whatever state you're in, you're most likely to experience road rage on city streets (29.18 percent), on freeways or highways (26.59 percent) and in parking lots (14.9 percent).

Among the drivers surveyed by Forbes Advisor, the top reasons cited for feeling road rage include: heavy traffic (39.35 percent), already feeling stressed (38.06 percent), running late (33.89 percent), already feeling angry (32.49 percent) and feeling tired (26.86 percent)

The Connecticut State Police offers resident motorists the following tips to avoid road rage:

• Often another driver’s aggressive driving makes one feel compelled to retaliate. However, it is best to leave punishment to the police. Call the police to report any instances of aggressive driving when you arrive at your destination.
• Don't compete on the road. Driving is not a contest. Let others who are racing pass you. Although it is difficult to say, let aggressive drivers have their accidents elsewhere.
• If another driver does something to anger you, talk to your passengers about it, rather than use your vehicle as a weapon to retaliate.
• If you get angry easily and feel you do not have the best frame of mind while driving, consider postponing the trip until you feel better, have a friend drive or call a taxi.
• Give an aggressive driver the benefit of the doubt - it is possible or likely he or she made a mistake from fatigue or failing to pay attention, but did not intentionally set out to cause a problem for you.