Just How Angry Are Rhode Island Drivers? New Report Ranks Road Rage

RHODE ISLAND — Whatever the cause of the underlying stress and anxiety — COVID-19, 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. There was a road rage shooting in Rhode Island just last month

In some states, such as Rhode Island, aggressive, confrontational driving tends to be more common, according to a new report from personal finance website Forbes Advisor. The new report ranked Rhode Island as the second-worst state in the U.S. for road rage.

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. Rhode Island's score of 99.46 out of 100 placed it at No. 2 on Forbes Advisor's list of "States with the Most Confrontational Drivers."

Drilling down, Rhode Island drivers tied with Alabama and Illinois for being most likely to report that another driver has tried to block their car from changing lanes (63.5 percent).

Ocean State drivers were second most likely to report that another driver got out of their vehicle to yell at or fight with them (57 percent), and tied with Texas drivers for being second most likely to experience rude or offensive gestures while driving (73 percent).

Rhode Island drivers were also most likely to report that another driver yelled at them, insulted them, cursed at them or made threats (96.5 percent), and tied with drivers from Texas for being most likely to experience honks of frustration.

Additionally, 62.5 percent of Rhode Island motorists said that another driver has cut them off on purpose, the third-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)

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