Northeast Drivers Are The Angriest In America, AAA Study Finds

BOSTON (CBS) – This should come as no surprise to anyone in the Boston area.

A new AAA study finds that drivers in the Northeast are far more likely to "yell, honk or gesture angrily" than motorists in the rest of the United States. The results showed that Northeast drivers were 30 percent more likely to have made an angry gesture than other drivers.

Those numbers are from a larger look at America's alarming road rage problem. AAA found that almost 80 percent of drivers have shown significant anger, aggression or road rage while driving in the past year.

"Inconsiderate driving, heavy traffic and the daily stresses of life can transform minor frustrations into dangerous road rage," AAA Northeast spokeswoman Mary Maguire said. "Far too many drivers are losing themselves in the heat of the moment and lashing out in ways that could turn deadly."

Seven percent of drivers in the U.S. were found to have engaged in "extreme" examples of aggressive driving, AAA said. That included hitting another vehicle on purpose and getting out of their car to confront someone.

Related: 3 Mass. Cities Named 'Most Dangerous' In Country For Drivers

The most common form of angry aggressive driving was purposeful tailgating – AAA discovered that 51 percent of motorists did it in the past year.

Men were three times more likely than women to have extreme road rage, according to AAA.

AAA recommends that drivers try not to do anything that would offend others on the road, and don't respond if they're the target of road rage.

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• Road Rage