Aggressive driving increases around winter holidays

A new survey has found that nearly two out of three (64 percent) U.S. drivers have experienced an act of aggressive driving six times or more in the past three months from another driver.

State Farm and KRC Research surveyed 1,000 U.S drivers over 18 years old and learned that nearly a third of drivers said their likelihood to engage in aggressive driving increases during the winter holidays.

In the survey, forty-four percent of drivers reported that they have engaged in aggressive driving behaviours in the past three months.

32 percent of younger drivers (ages 18-29), 28 percent of middle aged drivers (ages 30-49) and parents (30 percent) were significantly more likely to report being provoked or engage in aggressive driving around the major winter holidays compared to only 9 percent of older drivers (ages 50 and older) and non-parents (15 percent).

About half of survey respondents perceive men and women to be equally courteous when driving. When it comes to aggressive driving, however, the majority (54 percent) of drivers cite men as the most likely culprits of aggressive driving, compared to only one in 10 who said that women are more likely.

The remaining 37 percent of drivers reported men and women to be equally likely to engage in aggressive driving.

The poll also found that top situations most likely to make drivers respond aggressively were traffic jams (63 percent), running late (55 percent) and road closures or construction (47 percent).

"These findings reinforce how important it is to keep safety top of mind when driving every day, but especially during heavy travel times like the winter holidays," Chris Mullen, Director of Technology Research at State Farm, said.

"Both negative and positive emotions can affect the way drivers behave and it's vital to be aware of your state of mind and continually refocus your attention on the road and practicing safe driving behaviours," Mullen added.