Report: Indiana and Colorado lead in most fatal crashes related to road rage

Middle fingers, “brake checks” and strong, adult language. Truckers and other motorists have likely been the victim of road rage. A report from Auto Insurance Center highlights the who, when and where of road rage across the United States.

Motorists should watch out for angry drivers if traveling in Indiana and Colorado. Those two states had the highest percentage of fatal road rage crashes, with Indiana accounting for 10 percent (77 crashes) and Colorado accounting for 9.5 percent (53 crashes). Twenty-one states had no crashes related to road rage or aggressive driving. However, the Auto Insurance Center points out states differ in reporting practices and how “aggressive driving” is defined.

Generational differences
According to the report, millennials were involved in more than half of fatal road rage and aggressive driving crashes. Pew Research Center defines millennials as those born from 1981 to 1996. Generation X motorists, the generation before millennials, ranked second, accounting for more than 21 percent of road rage/aggressive driving crashes.

The two older generations in the study, baby boomers and the silent generation, had the fewest crashes at 8.2 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively. However, baby boomers accounted for nearly one-quarter of other fatal crashes not involving aggressive driving.

Time and day
Occurrences of road rage vary by time of day. More than 7 percent of fatal road rage and aggressive driving crashes happened during the 10 p.m. hour, the most throughout the day. All other fatal accidents typically peak between and 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to the study.

Road rage also varies by day. Fatal crashes related to road rage peak on Sundays at 20.1 percent, and drop slightly on Mondays at 19.2 percent. From Tuesday through Saturday, fatal road rage crashes range from 10.2 percent to 14.8 percent each day. All other types of fatal crashes also peak on Sunday at 17.2 percent, but were more evenly spread throughout the rest of the week.

Time of year also played a factor. The worst months for fatal road rage crashes are July and September, accounting for about 11 percent of such crashes each. December and January have the fewest road rage crashes at nearly 5 percent each.

Local roads
More than 17 percent of fatal road rage crashes occurred on local roads, and nearly 12 percent on interstates. The vast majority of these crashes happened on other types of roads, including major thoroughfares that do not qualify as highways.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fatal crashes related to road rage average about one per day across the U.S.