Policygenius Survey: 3 in 10 Americans Have Been Victims of Road Rage In Last Two Years

More than half of Americans have witnessed angry driving during the pandemic

NEW YORK, April 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic led to millions of people working from home and traveling less frequently on the roads. Despite this, a new survey from fintech leader Policygenius finds that the roads have become more dangerous over the last two years, with more than half (57%) of Americans saying they have witnessed angry driving during the pandemic. 

Beyond witnessing aggressive behavior on the road, three in ten Americans (30%) say they've been the victim of angry or aggressive driving during the past two years.

The pandemic was a real turning point for this type of behavior. Nearly half of Americans (46%) said they believe angry driving has happened more frequently during the pandemic, with 34% saying they've seen this increase over the past two years, while another 12% saying they've only noticed incidents increasing within the past year.

Aggressive driving may be contributing to an increase in accidents, which translates to more frequent claims and higher insurance costs for consumers.

"While the pandemic and rise of remote work have made it less common for people to drive regularly to their jobs, this new data suggests that driving has become more dangerous," Andrew Hurst, auto insurance expert at Policygenius, said. "Not only can road rage put you in danger, it can be harmful to your finances as well. We found that, on average, aggressive driving increases the cost of car insurance by 40%."

The 2022 Policygenius Road Rage Survey also found that:

• Parents of young children were more likely to drive aggressively: More than half of parents with children under 18 (53%) admitted to at least one form of road rage, compared to those without children (46% admitting to road rage) and those with children older than 18 (49%).
• Most people think this behavior is justified, especially younger people: More than half of Americans (56%) believe angry driving is justified at least rarely, especially those aged 18-34 (70%) — the highest of any age group.
• Gender and location play a role on the roads: Men are slightly more likely than women to believe that angry driving is ever justified (57% and 54%, respectively). In the West, 64% of people witnessed incidents of road rage — the most of any region.
• Some drivers admitted to being aggressive behind the wheel: Many Americans admitted to shouting at other drivers or using their horns for long periods of time (25%), making criticizing or threatening gestures (24%), tailgating (12%), purposefully cutting off or blocking others (12%), chasing other drivers (5%), and getting out of their car to confront others (5%).

The survey defined aggressive driving as deliberately following another car too closely, changing lanes quickly without a signal to prevent another car from passing, and making verbal or physical gestures to other drivers.

Policygenius commissioned YouGov to poll 1,083 Americans 18 or older. YouGov conducted this survey online from February 23 to February 24, 2022. The figures have been weighed and are representative of all U.S. adults (aged 18+). You can see additional data in the full report here.

About Policygenius:
Policygenius transforms the insurance journey for today's consumer, providing a one-stop platform where customers can compare options from top insurance carriers, get unbiased expert advice, buy policies, and manage their insurance portfolio, in one seamless, integrated experience. Our proprietary technology platform integrates with the leading life, disability, and home and auto insurance carriers and delivers an exceptional digital experience for both consumers and insurance carriers. Since 2014, our content, digital tools, and experts have served as a resource for millions of people on their insurance journey, and we have sold more than $160 billion in coverage.

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For more information:
Brooke Niemeyer
Associate Director of Media Relations
[email protected] 

SOURCE Policygenius