Washington Drivers Ranked 9th-Worst For Road Rage: Forbes

WASHINGTON — While it may not come as a surprise to those with longer commutes, a recent Forbes survey found Washington is home to some of the nation's least pleasant drivers. Forbes Advisor surveyed 5,000 drivers across the U.S. about their experiences on the road, from getting honked at, tailgated or cut off to being the target of offensive gestures, insults, or a gun.

Overall, Forbes Advisor found Utah to have the most confrontational drivers, where one in four surveyed said they knew someone injured in a road rage incident. Colorado also landed in the top five, where nearly half said they were insulted or threatened by other drivers. Each state was assigned a score out of 100, with aggressive and violent behavior weighted more heavily than honking or yelling.

Drivers in the Evergreen State ranked the ninth-most confrontational, scoring 88.9 on the scale. States with the least aggressive drivers include North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Michigan, the survey found.

Here are the 10 states with the most confrontational drivers, per Forbes Advisor:

1. Utah (100/100)
2. Missouri (99.62/100)
3. Colorado (94.74/100)
4. Oklahoma (92.86/100)
5. New Mexico (91.17/100)
6. Nevada (89.66/100)
7. Maryland (89.29/100)
8. Indiana (89.1/100)
9. Washington (88.91/100)
10. Delaware (88.72/100)

Forbes Advisor said a whopping 85 percent of all drivers surveyed experienced some form of road rage. More than 20 percent said they had witnessed a crash caused by road rage, and just under a quarter personally knew someone injured in one. The most common grievances were honking (63 percent) and tailgating (62 percent), while the most egregious offenses landed in the single digits.

Survey participants who admitted having road rage most often said another person was "driving inappropriately." Other common factors were stress (24 percent), traffic congestion (23 percent), and running late (19 percent).

>> Read the full report via Forbes Advisor.