Road Rage, Distracted Driving Common Among Daily Commuters

A surprising poll recently conducted by Harris Interactive for the job-posting and career advice website CareerBuilder.com provided some interesting insight into American drivers and their habits behind the wheel. Not so surprisingly, the results showed that as a whole, drivers in the U.S. are an angry and distracted bunch.

The poll, conducted between May 14 and June 4 of this year, surveyed almost 3,900 motorists about their commutes to and from work. Of those polled, the vast majority (83%) drove to work each day as opposed to using public transportation. The poll excluded those who were self-employed or employed in government jobs.

According to Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com, road rage is most associated with running late and dealing with long, far commutes. In total, 58% of all drivers said they experienced road rage during their commutes to and from work. This doesn't mean drivers with short commutes were immune to road rage, though, just that they were less likely to experience it. In fact, only 37% of drivers with a commute of five minutes or less experienced road rage, while 54% of those with commutes of 10 minutes or less admitted to experiencing road rage.

As surprising as it may seem, 61% of all women surveyed admitted that they experienced road rage at some point while making their daily commute, while only 56% of men admitted to losing their head behind the wheel. Regardless of gender, younger drivers are more prone to road rage than older ones, adhering to the stereotype that the older you get, the more you mellow-out. Approximately 68% of those surveyed between the ages of 25 and 34 years old said they experience road rage, while only 47% of those 55 and above admitted the same.

The weather also factored into a driver's likelihood of experiencing road rage. Nearly 17% of those surveyed said that when the temperatures go up in the summer, they experience road rage less. Only 10% claimed that the added heat of the summer months fueled their fury behind the wheel.

While a significant amount of Americans seem to struggle with anger issues during their commutes, the upside came from the fact that only 9% had actually been involved in to a fight with another driver.

Beyond angry driving, almost one in four commuters (24%) has been in an accident while on their way to work, while just under a third (30%) admitted to texting and driving while on their way to work. All in all, to keep your vehicle out of harm's way, keep calm and focus on driving while commuting — and watch out for those who don't.

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