AAA: 96% Admit Aggressive Driving; Crashes Rise

A new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study finds 96% of U.S. drivers admit to at least one aggressive driving behavior in the past year, including speeding, cutting off other vehicles and honking in anger. The survey shows sharp increases since 2016 in cutting off other vehicles (up 67%) and honking out of anger (up 47%), while tailgating and yelling have declined, and 82% said they ran a red light at least once. Drivers of sports cars, large trucks and motorcycles report feeling more dominant, and researchers warn that exposure to hostile behavior makes drivers more likely to respond in kind, creating a self‑reinforcing cycle. Federal and state data and local reports link aggressive driving to higher fatal-crash rates — Connecticut ranked fifth nationally — and some states report large shares of crashes tied to aggression (Idaho reported 49% of crashes involved aggression and 75 deaths). Law enforcement and traffic experts say pandemic-era empty roads encouraged high speeds and that congestion and distracted driving have worsened the problem, with some drivers describing roads as like a “war zone.” AAA and safety officials urge drivers to use signals, allow merges and avoid retaliation to help break the cycle and reduce crashes.