Statistics · Updated November 2, 2026
Road Rage Statistics 2026
Includes AAA's 2025 road rage survey and NHTSA's 2024 speeding data, released July 2026
- 75statistics
- 23sources from 15 publishers
- Checkedevery figure against its original source
- FreeCSV download and ready-made citations
Compiled by the RevRated research desk from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, NHTSA, the National Safety Council, Everytown and The Trace data.
96% of US drivers admitted at least one aggressive driving behavior in the past year in the AAA Foundation's 2025 survey, and 7% admitted road rage. The Trace counted 481 people shot in road rage incidents in 2023. Below, each source's figures sit side by side, with what each one measures.
Key findings
- 96%
96% of US drivers said they had engaged in at least one aggressive driving or road rage behavior in the past year, according to a 2025 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey that asked about 25 behaviors.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data
- 7%
7% of drivers admitted road rage in 2025 (getting out of the car to confront another driver, or bumping or ramming a vehicle on purpose), up from 4% in the 2014 survey, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data
- 37 percent
A firearm was used in 37 percent of the violent aggressive driving incidents Louis Mizell analysed for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, covering 1990 to 1996; this 1997 study is the origin of the widely repeated 37% figure.
Louis Mizell for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving (in Aggressive Driving: Three Studies, 1997) · 1990-1996 data
- 53%
53% of US drivers wondered in the past year whether another driver had a weapon in their vehicle, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (September 2025) · 2025 data
- 481
481 people were shot in road rage incidents in the US in 2023, up from 92 in 2014, an increase of more than 400 percent, according to The Trace's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data.
The Trace, Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data) · 2014-2023 data
- 777
777 people were killed in road rage shootings in the US from 2014 to 2023, about one in four of everyone shot, according to The Trace's Gun Violence Archive data (RevRated calculation of the yearly totals).
The Trace, chart data for Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data) · 2014-2023 data
- 883
News reports documented 883 road rage incidents involving firearms in the US in 2025, resulting in 114 deaths, according to Everytown's EveryShot 2025 in Review, which tracks incidents from news coverage rather than the Gun Violence Archive.
Everytown Research & Policy, EveryShot 2025 in Review · 2025 data
- 699
In 2024, police coded aggressive driving or road rage as a factor for 699 vehicles involved in fatal crashes in the US, according to the National Safety Council's analysis of NHTSA crash data.
National Safety Council, Injury Facts: Improper Driving and Road Rage (NSC analysis of NHTSA FARS data) · 2024 data
- 11,288
Speeding-related crashes killed 11,288 people in the US in 2024, 29 percent of all traffic deaths and a 5 percent drop from 11,913 in 2023, according to NHTSA.
NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts: Speeding, 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 823) · 2024 data
- two-thirds
The widely repeated claim that aggressive driving causes 66% of traffic deaths traces to NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez, who told Congress in July 1997 that about two-thirds of the 41,907 deaths in 1996 could be attributed to behavior associated with aggressive driving, a definition that included speeding and drunk driving.
How common is road rage?
Nearly every US driver admits to some aggressive driving, and a small but growing share admits to road rage. The newest national figures come from a 2025 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey, which updates its 2014 study.
- 96%
96% of US drivers said they had engaged in at least one aggressive driving or road rage behavior in the past year, according to a 2025 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey that asked about 25 behaviors.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 3,020
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 aggressive driving survey questioned 3,020 US drivers aged 16 and older between May 7 and May 19, 2025, in English and Spanish.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 81%
Counting only the behaviors asked in both surveys, 81% of drivers reported driving aggressively in 2025, up from 78% in the 2014 survey, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 7%
7% of drivers admitted road rage in 2025 (getting out of the car to confront another driver, or bumping or ramming a vehicle on purpose), up from 4% in the 2014 survey, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 78.1%
In the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's earlier survey of 2,705 licensed drivers, conducted in 2014, 78.1% reported at least one of eight aggressive driving behaviors in the past year.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Prevalence of Self-Reported Aggressive Driving Behavior: United States, 2014 (2016) · 2014 data [2]
- 82%
82% of drivers said they have felt threatened on the road, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
Which aggressive driving behaviors are most common?
Speeding through a changing light, honking and glaring top the list, while violent acts are rare. Most drivers have also been on the receiving end.
Source: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025), Table 8. Chart: RevRated, free to reuse with a link to this page.
Show chart data
| Sped up on yellow | 82% |
|---|---|
| Honked in annoyance | 66% |
| Glared at a driver | 65% |
| Brake-checked | 42% |
| Tailgated on purpose | 39% |
| Yelled at a driver | 39% |
| Angry gesture | 37% |
| Blocked lane change | 28% |
| Cut off on purpose | 20% |
| Followed to confront | 8% |
| Got out to confront | 6% |
| Bumped on purpose | 3% |
- 82%
Speeding up as a light changes from yellow to red was the most common aggressive behavior: 82% of drivers did it at least once in the past year, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 66%
66% of drivers honked at another driver who did something inappropriate (not to avoid a crash) at least once in the past year, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 39%
39% of drivers drove very close to another vehicle on purpose to make it speed up or move over at least once in the past year, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 37%
37% of drivers made an angry gesture, such as the middle finger, at another driver in the past year, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 20%
20% of drivers cut off another vehicle on purpose at least once in the past year, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 6%
6% of drivers got out of their vehicle to confront another driver in the past year, and 8% followed another vehicle intending to confront its driver, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 92%
On the receiving end, 92% of drivers were tailgated by another driver in the past year, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 15%
15% of drivers said another driver forced them off the road in the past year, and 14% had another driver get out of their vehicle to confront them, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 67%
AAA reported in September 2025 that cutting off other vehicles on purpose is up 67% since the AAA Foundation's previous study (2014 data, published 2016), a relative rise from 12% to 20% of drivers.
AAA newsroom, Study Finds Almost All Drivers Experience Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [3]
- 24%
Not every behavior rose: AAA reported in September 2025 that tailgating is down 24% since the previous study (a relative fall from 51% to 39% of drivers), and yelling at other drivers is down 17%.
AAA newsroom, Study Finds Almost All Drivers Experience Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [3]
| Behavior | 2014 survey | 2025 survey |
|---|---|---|
| Tailgated another vehicle | 51% | 39% |
| Yelled at another driver | 47% | 39% |
| Honked to show annoyance or anger | 45% | 66% |
| Made an angry gesture | 33% | 37% |
| Tried to block from changing lanes | 24% | 28% |
| Cut off another vehicle on purpose | 12% | 20% |
| Exited vehicle to confront another driver | 4% | 6% |
| Bumped/rammed another vehicle on purpose | 3% | 3% |
Source: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025), Table 9
Who is more likely to engage in road rage?
Younger drivers and men report the most aggressive driving, and drivers who face aggression from others are far more likely to dish it out. Regional patterns have shifted between the two AAA studies.
- 36%
36% of drivers aged 16 to 24 were high engagers in aggressive driving (three or more measured behaviors done fairly often or regularly in the past year), against 10% of drivers aged 75 and older, in the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 28%
28% of male drivers were high engagers in aggressive driving in 2025, against 23% of female drivers, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety; the gap was not significant once other factors were controlled for, except for violent behavior.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 13%
13% of male drivers reported violent road behavior such as bumping a car or confronting a driver in the past year, against 8% of female drivers, in the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 29%
Drivers in the South were the most likely to be high engagers in aggressive driving in 2025, at 29%, against 20% in the Midwest, according to unadjusted figures from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 43%
Aggressive driving spreads: 43% of drivers who faced the most aggression from others were themselves high engagers in aggressive driving, against 9% of those who faced the least, in the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 26.1%
In the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index, 26.1% of male drivers admitted switching lanes quickly or tailgating in the past 30 days, against 18.2% of female drivers.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index (2026) · 2025 data [4]
| Group | High engagement overall | Any violent behavior |
|---|---|---|
| All drivers | 25% | 11% |
| Age 16–24 | 36% | 10% |
| Age 25–39 | 33% | 14% |
| Age 40–59 | 27% | 12% |
| Age 60–74 | 13% | 7% |
| Age 75+ | 10% | 4% |
| Male | 28% | 13% |
| Female | 23% | 8% |
| Northeast | 25% | 9% |
| Midwest | 20% | 11% |
| South | 29% | 12% |
| West | 23% | 10% |
Source: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025), Tables 11 and 13
Do drivers think aggressive driving is dangerous, and is it getting worse?
Drivers overwhelmingly call aggressive driving dangerous and say it is getting worse, yet many still admit to it. Most also believe the problem is other drivers.
Source: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index (2026), Table 2. Chart: RevRated, free to reuse with a link to this page.
Show chart data
| Aggressive driving | 90% |
|---|---|
| Running a red light | 78% |
| 10 mph over, streets | 61% |
| 15 mph over, freeway | 48% |
- 90%
90% of drivers rated aggressive driving, such as switching lanes quickly and driving close behind other cars, as very or extremely dangerous, in the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index (2,699 drivers surveyed July 31 to August 13, 2025).
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index (2026) · 2025 data [4]
- 22%
Even so, 22% of drivers admitted driving aggressively by switching lanes quickly or following very closely at least once in the past 30 days, and 28% admitted running a red light, in the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index (2026) · 2025 data [4]
- 48%
48% of drivers admitted driving 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway at least once in the past 30 days, in the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index (2026) · 2025 data [4]
- 66%
66% of drivers believe other drivers drive more aggressively than they do, while 10% see themselves as more aggressive than others, in the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index (2026) · 2025 data [4]
- 72%
72% of drivers think aggressive driving is a bigger problem than in previous years (36% much bigger, 36% somewhat bigger), a RevRated calculation from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey; only 4% think it is a smaller problem.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 53%
53% of drivers felt there is not enough police enforcement of aggressive driving, 43% said it was about right and 4% said too much, in the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) · 2025 data [1]
What percentage of road rage incidents involve a firearm?
The widely quoted 37% comes from one 1997 AAA Foundation study of violent aggressive driving incidents reported between 1990 and 1996. No current national source measures the share of all road rage incidents that involve a gun, but newer surveys show how often drivers carry one and fear one.
- 37 percent
A firearm was used in 37 percent of the violent aggressive driving incidents Louis Mizell analysed for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, covering 1990 to 1996; this 1997 study is the origin of the widely repeated 37% figure.
Louis Mizell for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving (in Aggressive Driving: Three Studies, 1997) · 1990-1996 data [5]
- 35 percent
In 35 percent of the violent aggressive driving incidents recorded from 1990 to 1996, the weapon was the vehicle itself, according to Louis Mizell's 1997 study for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Louis Mizell for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving (in Aggressive Driving: Three Studies, 1997) · 1990-1996 data [5]
- 10,037
Louis Mizell's 1997 study for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety counted at least 10,037 violent aggressive driving incidents in the United States from January 1990 to September 1, 1996, compiled from newspapers, police reports and insurance claims.
Louis Mizell for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving (in Aggressive Driving: Three Studies, 1997) · 1990-1996 data [5]
- 2,300
In approximately 2,300 incidents the aggressive driver used only the vehicle as a weapon, and in approximately 1,250 used both the vehicle and a standard weapon such as a gun, knife or club, according to Louis Mizell's 1997 study for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (1990 to 1996 data).
Louis Mizell for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving (in Aggressive Driving: Three Studies, 1997) · 1990-1996 data [5]
- 7%
7% of US drivers say they always carry a gun in their vehicle, 10% sometimes do and 83% never do, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's survey of 3,020 drivers conducted in May 2025.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (September 2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 53%
53% of US drivers wondered in the past year whether another driver had a weapon in their vehicle, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (September 2025) · 2025 data [1]
- 20%
20% of US drivers personally know someone who has been threatened by a weapon in a road rage incident, and 12% know someone who was injured or killed in one, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 survey.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (September 2025) · 2025 data [1]
Are road rage shootings increasing?
Gun Violence Archive data analysed by The Trace and by Everytown shows the number of people shot in road rage incidents rising sharply from 2014 to a peak in 2022, then easing slightly. The two analyses use the same underlying archive but report slightly different yearly totals because records are revised.
Source: The Trace, chart data for Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data). Chart: RevRated, free to reuse with a link to this page.
Show chart data
| 2014 | 92 |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 140 |
| 2016 | 220 |
| 2017 | 234 |
| 2018 | 218 |
| 2019 | 277 |
| 2020 | 389 |
| 2021 | 501 |
| 2022 | 543 |
| 2023 | 481 |
- 481
481 people were shot in road rage incidents in the US in 2023, up from 92 in 2014, an increase of more than 400 percent, according to The Trace's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data.
The Trace, Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data) · 2014-2023 data [6]
- 3,095
Drivers shot 3,095 people in road rage incidents in the US from 2014 to 2023, nearly one a day, according to The Trace's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data.
The Trace, Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data) · 2014-2023 data [6]
- 777
777 people were killed in road rage shootings in the US from 2014 to 2023, about one in four of everyone shot, according to The Trace's Gun Violence Archive data (RevRated calculation of the yearly totals).
The Trace, chart data for Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data) · 2014-2023 data [7]
- 18 hours
Someone was shot in a road rage incident in the US on average every 18 hours in 2023, up from once every four days in 2014, according to The Trace's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data.
The Trace, Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data) · 2014-2023 data [6]
- 543
2022 was the worst year of the decade in The Trace's Gun Violence Archive data, with 543 people shot in road rage incidents (137 killed and 406 wounded), a RevRated calculation from the 2014 to 2023 yearly totals.
The Trace, chart data for Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data), RevRated calculation · 2022 data [7]
- 483
483 people were shot in road rage incidents in the US in 2023, 118 killed and 365 wounded, according to Everytown's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data.
Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, press release on its road rage shootings report · 2023 data [8]
- 118
Road rage shooting deaths in the US doubled from at least 58 in 2018 to 118 in 2023, according to Everytown's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data.
Everytown Research & Policy, Road Rage Shootings Remain Alarmingly High · 2018-2023 data [9]
- 883
News reports documented 883 road rage incidents involving firearms in the US in 2025, resulting in 114 deaths, according to Everytown's EveryShot 2025 in Review, which tracks incidents from news coverage rather than the Gun Violence Archive.
Everytown Research & Policy, EveryShot 2025 in Review · 2025 data [10]
Which states have the most road rage shootings?
Large states lead on raw counts, while smaller Southwestern and Southern states have the highest rates per resident. Counts below come from The Trace's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data; rates from Everytown use a different period and measure.
- 6.16
Among the states with data, New Mexico had the highest rate of people shot in road rage incidents in 2023, 6.16 per 1 million residents, followed by Arizona, Tennessee, Colorado and Wisconsin, according to Everytown's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data.
Everytown Research & Policy, Road Rage Incidents by State, 2023 (graph) · 2023 data [11]
- 20 percent
The five states with the highest road rage shooting rates in 2023 (New Mexico, Arizona, Tennessee, Colorado and Wisconsin) have 8 percent of the US population but had 20 percent of road rage shooting victims, according to Everytown.
Everytown Research & Policy, Road Rage Shootings Remain Alarmingly High · 2023 data [9]
- 604
Texas recorded 604 road rage shootings from 2014 to 2024, far more than any other state, according to The Trace's Gun Violence Data Hub map of Gun Violence Archive data.
The Trace, Gun Violence Data Hub, Road Rage Shootings by State map (Gun Violence Archive data) · 2014-2024 data [12]
- 0.275
New Mexico had the highest average annual road rage shooting rate of any state from 2014 to 2024, 0.275 shootings per 100,000 residents, according to The Trace's Gun Violence Data Hub map of Gun Violence Archive data.
The Trace, Gun Violence Data Hub, Road Rage Shootings by State map (Gun Violence Archive data), RevRated calculation · 2014-2024 data [12]
- 741
Texas recorded 741 road rage incidents involving guns from 2014 to 2023, and someone was shot in 72 percent of them, according to The Trace's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data.
The Trace, Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data) · 2014-2023 data [6]
- 488
Florida recorded 488 road rage incidents involving guns from 2014 to 2023 and California 321, the second and third most of any state, according to The Trace's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data.
The Trace, Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data) · 2014-2023 data [6]
- 5.46
New Mexico had the highest rate of armed road rage incidents from 2014 to 2023, an average of 5.46 per 1 million residents a year, ahead of Tennessee and Wisconsin, according to The Trace's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data.
The Trace, chart data for Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data), RevRated calculation · 2014-2023 data [13]
- 214
Houston had the most gun-involved road rage incidents of any US city from 2014 to 2023, 214, with 206 people killed or wounded, twice as many as the next city, according to The Trace's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data.
The Trace, Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data) · 2014-2023 data [6]
| State | Shootings, 2014-2024 | Avg. annual shootings per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 604 | 0.186 |
| Florida | 238 | 0.100 |
| California | 230 | 0.053 |
| Tennessee | 155 | 0.203 |
| Arizona | 138 | 0.173 |
| Georgia | 132 | 0.111 |
| Wisconsin | 127 | 0.196 |
| Pennsylvania | 124 | 0.087 |
| Illinois | 111 | 0.079 |
| Ohio | 110 | 0.085 |
Source: The Trace, Gun Violence Data Hub, Road Rage Shootings by State map (Gun Violence Archive data)
How many crashes and deaths involve aggressive driving or road rage?
Police crash reports capture road rage only when it ends in a crash, so the official count is small. Broader measures of aggressive driving actions, led by speeding, show up in more than half of fatal crashes.
Source: National Safety Council, Injury Facts (NSC analysis of NHTSA FARS data), current and archived editions. Chart: RevRated, free to reuse with a link to this page.
Show chart data
| 2017 | 434 |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 452 |
| 2022 | 655 |
| 2024 | 699 |
- 699
In 2024, police coded aggressive driving or road rage as a factor for 699 vehicles involved in fatal crashes in the US, according to the National Safety Council's analysis of NHTSA crash data.
National Safety Council, Injury Facts: Improper Driving and Road Rage (NSC analysis of NHTSA FARS data) · 2024 data [14]
- 434
In 2017, aggressive driving or road rage was coded for 434 vehicles in fatal crashes (0.8% of all such vehicles), according to the National Safety Council's analysis of NHTSA FARS data.
National Safety Council, Injury Facts: Improper Driving and Road Rage (NSC analysis of NHTSA FARS data), 2017 edition (archived) · 2017 data [15]
- 61 percent
The number of vehicles in fatal crashes with an aggressive driving or road rage factor rose 61 percent from 2017 to 2024 (434 to 699), a RevRated calculation from National Safety Council analyses of NHTSA FARS data.
RevRated calculation from National Safety Council, Injury Facts (NSC analysis of NHTSA FARS data), 2017 and 2024 editions · 2017-2024 data [14]
- 18.8%
Speed too fast or unsafe was the most common driver behavior coded in fatal crashes in 2024, recorded for 10,453 vehicles, or 18.8% of all vehicles involved, according to the National Safety Council's analysis of NHTSA data.
National Safety Council, Injury Facts: Improper Driving and Road Rage (NSC analysis of NHTSA FARS data) · 2024 data [14]
- 2,387
Operating a vehicle in an erratic, reckless or negligent manner was coded for 2,387 vehicles in fatal crashes in 2024 (4.3% of all vehicles involved), according to the National Safety Council's analysis of NHTSA FARS data.
National Safety Council, Injury Facts: Improper Driving and Road Rage (NSC analysis of NHTSA FARS data) · 2024 data [14]
- 56 percent
Potentially aggressive driving actions, led by speeding, were reported in 56 percent of US fatal crashes from 2003 through 2007, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found in a 2009 analysis of NHTSA FARS data.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving: Research Update (2009) · 2003-2007 data [16]
- 119,475
A total of 119,475 people were killed in US crashes involving potentially aggressive driving actions from 2003 through 2007, and 56.3% of them were the drivers who committed those actions, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reported in 2009.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving: Research Update (2009) · 2003-2007 data [16]
- 30.7%
Speeding (over the limit or too fast for conditions) was coded in 30.7% of US fatal crashes from 2003 through 2007, by far the most common potentially aggressive action, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving: Research Update (2009), Figure 1 · 2003-2007 data [16]
How many people die in speeding-related crashes?
Speeding is the aggressive driving behavior most often found in fatal crashes. NHTSA counts a crash as speeding-related when a driver was charged with a speeding offense or police reported racing, driving too fast for conditions, or exceeding the limit.
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts: Speeding, 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 823), Table 1. Chart: RevRated, free to reuse with a link to this page.
Show chart data
| 2015 | 9,723 |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 10,291 |
| 2017 | 9,947 |
| 2018 | 9,579 |
| 2019 | 9,592 |
| 2020 | 11,428 |
| 2021 | 12,498 |
| 2022 | 12,157 |
| 2023 | 11,913 |
| 2024 | 11,288 |
- 11,288
Speeding-related crashes killed 11,288 people in the US in 2024, 29 percent of all traffic deaths and a 5 percent drop from 11,913 in 2023, according to NHTSA.
NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts: Speeding, 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 823) · 2024 data [17]
- 316,757
An estimated 316,757 people were injured in speeding-related crashes in the US in 2024, 13% of everyone injured in traffic crashes, according to NHTSA.
NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts: Speeding, 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 823) · 2024 data [17]
- 16 percent
US speeding-related deaths rose 16 percent over a decade, from 9,723 in 2015 to 11,288 in 2024, according to NHTSA.
NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts: Speeding, 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 823) · 2015-2024 data [17]
- 12,498
Speeding-related deaths in the US peaked at 12,498 in 2021, the highest year in NHTSA's 2015 to 2024 series.
NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts: Speeding, 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 823), Table 1 · 2021 data [17]
- Thirty-nine percent
Thirty-nine percent of male drivers aged 15 to 20 involved in fatal crashes in 2024 were speeding, the highest share of any age group, according to NHTSA.
NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts: Speeding, 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 823) · 2024 data [17]
- Thirty-seven percent
Thirty-seven percent of speeding drivers in fatal crashes in 2024 had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 g/dL or higher, compared with 17 percent of non-speeding drivers, according to NHTSA.
NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts: Speeding, 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 823) · 2024 data [17]
- 10,035
NHTSA's early estimate for 2025 projects 10,035 speeding-related deaths in the US, an 11% decline from 2024.
NHTSA press release, Speeding Catches Up with You (July 2, 2026) · 2025 data [18]
Where do the most-repeated road rage statistics come from?
Three figures that still circulate as current statistics date from 1997: a congressional hearing and an AAA Foundation study of newspaper and police reports. Here is what the originals actually said.
- two-thirds
The widely repeated claim that aggressive driving causes 66% of traffic deaths traces to NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez, who told Congress in July 1997 that about two-thirds of the 41,907 deaths in 1996 could be attributed to behavior associated with aggressive driving, a definition that included speeding and drunk driving.
U.S. House Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, hearing "Road Rage: Causes and Dangers of Aggressive Driving" (July 17, 1997), testimony of NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez · 1996 data [19]
- one-third
In the same 1997 testimony, NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez estimated that about one-third of 1996 police-reported crashes involved behavior associated with aggressive driving.
U.S. House Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, hearing "Road Rage: Causes and Dangers of Aggressive Driving" (July 17, 1997), testimony of NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez · 1996 data [19]
- 218
The often-cited "218 murders and 12,610 injuries over seven years" comes from a 1997 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study by Mizell & Company, which found at least 218 people killed in violent aggressive driving incidents reported in newspapers and police reports from January 1990 to August 1996, a period of six years and eight months.
U.S. House Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, hearing "Road Rage: Causes and Dangers of Aggressive Driving" (July 17, 1997), testimony of David K. Willis, President, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety · 1990-1996 data [19]
Which states have aggressive driving laws?
Most states handle aggressive driving through ordinary traffic and reckless driving laws. A minority define aggressive driving in statute, and Texas raised penalties for road rage shootings in 2025.
- 15 states
15 states have addressed aggressive driving in their legislatures, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association's state law review (laws last reviewed by state highway safety offices in June 2025).
Governors Highway Safety Association, Speeding & Aggressive Driving state laws · 2025 data [20]
- 11 states
11 states have passed laws that specifically define aggressive driving actions, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (laws last reviewed in June 2025).
Governors Highway Safety Association, Speeding & Aggressive Driving state laws · 2025 data [20]
- five years to life
Texas's 2025 road rage shooting law raised the potential sentence to five years to life in prison for shooting into or toward an occupied vehicle, The Trace reported in July 2025.
The Trace, Texas Cracks Down on Road Rage Shootings (July 2025) · 2025 data [21]
- 104
Texas Senate Bill 3031, which expands when firing at a vehicle, home or building from a motor vehicle counts as first-degree aggravated assault, passed the Texas House 104 to 39 on May 22, 2025, after passing the Senate 26 to 5, and took effect September 1, 2025.
Texas Legislature, S.B. No. 3031 (89th Legislature), enrolled version · 2025 data [22]
| State | How GHSA classifies it | What the law covers (summary) |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Defines aggressive driving | Speeding plus 2 other listed violations, creating an immediate hazard |
| Delaware | Defines aggressive driving | 3 or more listed violations |
| Florida | Defines aggressive driving | 2 or more listed violations; ticket checkbox |
| Georgia | Defines aggressive driving | Intent to annoy, harass or intimidate plus a listed act |
| Indiana | Defines aggressive driving | 3 or more listed violations |
| Maryland | Defines aggressive driving | 3 or more listed violations |
| Nevada | Defines aggressive driving | Speeding plus 2 violations within one mile, creating a hazard |
| North Carolina | Defines aggressive driving | Speeding and careless driving plus 2 listed violations |
| Rhode Island | Defines aggressive driving | Speeding plus 2 listed violations |
| Vermont | Defines aggressive driving | Following too closely, crowding and harassment |
| Virginia | Defines aggressive driving | Intent to harass or intimidate plus a listed violation |
| California | Reckless driving law amended | Covers injuries to others and speed contests |
| Utah | Reckless driving law amended | 3 or more moving violations in one continuous drive |
| Pennsylvania | Resolution only | House resolution urging courteous driving |
| New Jersey | Existing laws | Charged as careless or unsafe driving |
Methodology
Every figure on this page was taken from the organization that published it: the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2025 Aggressive Driving and Road Rage report and 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index, its earlier 2014 survey, 2009 research update and Louis Mizell's 1997 study, NHTSA's Traffic Safety Facts on speeding, the National Safety Council's analysis of NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Everytown's analyses of Gun Violence Archive data, The Trace's analysis and data hub, the Governors Highway Safety Association, and the Texas Legislature. We did not copy figures from other statistics roundups. Each statistic was checked against its source by a second reviewer before publishing.
The sources measure different things, so this page keeps them apart. AAA's surveys ask drivers what they did in the past year (or, in the Traffic Safety Culture Index, the past 30 days). The 2025 survey asked about 25 behaviors and the 2014 survey about eight, so the 96% and 78% headline figures are not directly comparable; for behaviors asked in both, the comparison is 81% against 78%. Police crash data count vehicles in fatal crashes with an aggressive driving or road rage factor coded, which captures road rage only when it ends in a crash. The Trace and Everytown both analyse Gun Violence Archive records but report slightly different yearly totals because the archive revises records, and Everytown's EveryShot review counts incidents from news reports instead.
Some figures are old and are labelled that way. The 37 percent firearm figure and the 218 killed and 12,610 injured come from violent incidents reported in newspapers and police records from 1990 to 1996, and the two-thirds of deaths estimate is for 1996. Where we worked a figure out ourselves, such as a percentage change, the statistic says RevRated calculation and the arithmetic is kept in our records and in the CSV.
Spot an error or a newer figure? Tell us and we will correct the page and note the change.
Cite this page
Free to quote, chart or link in articles, reports and coursework. Please credit the original source for each figure and link to this page as the compilation.
RevRated. (2026, November 2). Road Rage Statistics 2026. https://revrated.com/road-rage-statistics/
"Road Rage Statistics 2026." RevRated, 2 Nov. 2026, revrated.com/road-rage-statistics.
RevRated. "Road Rage Statistics 2026." Last modified November 2, 2026. https://revrated.com/road-rage-statistics/
<a href="https://revrated.com/road-rage-statistics/">Road Rage Statistics 2026</a> (RevRated)
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of road rage incidents involve a firearm?
The figure most sites quote, 37 percent, comes from Louis Mizell's 1997 study for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. It found a firearm was used in 37 percent of 10,037 violent aggressive driving incidents reported from 1990 to 1996, and the vehicle itself in 35 percent. No current national source measures the share of all road rage incidents that involve a gun. In AAA's 2025 survey, 7% of drivers said they always carry a gun in their vehicle and 10% sometimes do, and 53% had wondered in the past year whether another driver had a weapon.
How common is road rage?
Very common in its milder forms. In the AAA Foundation's 2025 survey of 3,020 drivers, 96% admitted at least one aggressive driving or road rage behavior in the past year. Road rage in the narrow sense, getting out to confront another driver or bumping or ramming a vehicle on purpose, was admitted by 7%, up from 4% in the 2014 survey.
Who is more likely to engage in road rage?
Younger drivers and men. In the AAA Foundation's 2025 survey, 36% of drivers aged 16 to 24 were high engagers in aggressive driving, against 10% of drivers aged 75 and older. 13% of male drivers reported violent road behavior such as bumping a car or confronting a driver, against 8% of female drivers. Drivers in the South had the highest unadjusted rate of high engagement, at 29%.
How many people are killed in road rage incidents each year?
There is no single official count. Everytown's analysis of Gun Violence Archive data found 483 people shot in road rage incidents in 2023, 118 of them killed. Everytown's EveryShot review, which tracks news reports, counted 883 road rage incidents involving firearms in 2025, resulting in 114 deaths. Police crash data catch road rage only when it ends in a crash: in 2024, aggressive driving or road rage was coded for 699 vehicles in fatal crashes, according to the National Safety Council.
Are road rage shootings increasing?
They rose sharply over the last decade. The Trace counted 92 people shot in road rage incidents in 2014 and 481 in 2023, with a peak of 543 in 2022. Someone was shot in a road rage incident on average every 18 hours in 2023.
Which state has the most road rage shootings?
Texas has the most by count: 604 road rage shootings from 2014 to 2024, according to The Trace's map of Gun Violence Archive data. New Mexico has the highest rate among states with data. Everytown found 6.16 people shot in road rage incidents per 1 million New Mexico residents in 2023, followed by Arizona, Tennessee, Colorado and Wisconsin.
Is it true that 66% of traffic deaths are caused by aggressive driving?
That figure is a 1997 estimate, not a current statistic. NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez told Congress in July 1997 that about two-thirds of the 41,907 traffic deaths in 1996 could be attributed to behavior associated with aggressive driving, using a broad definition. A narrower 2009 AAA Foundation analysis found potentially aggressive driving actions, led by speeding, in 56 percent of fatal crashes from 2003 through 2007.
What is the most common aggressive driving behavior?
In the AAA Foundation's 2025 survey, 82% of drivers sped up as a light changed from yellow to red at least once in the past year, and 66% honked at another driver who did something inappropriate. In fatal crash data, speeding stands out: speeding-related crashes killed 11,288 people in 2024, 29 percent of all traffic deaths, according to NHTSA.
Sources
- AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage (2025) aaafoundation.org
- AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Prevalence of Self-Reported Aggressive Driving Behavior: United States, 2014 (2016) aaafoundation.org
- AAA newsroom, Study Finds Almost All Drivers Experience Road Rage (2025) newsroom.aaa.com
- AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2025 Traffic Safety Culture Index (2026) aaafoundation.org
- Louis Mizell for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving (in Aggressive Driving: Three Studies, 1997) rosap.ntl.bts.gov
- The Trace, Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data) thetrace.org
- The Trace, chart data for Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data) road-rage-shootings.netlify.app
- Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, press release on its road rage shootings report everytownsupportfund.org
- Everytown Research & Policy, Road Rage Shootings Remain Alarmingly High everytownresearch.org
- Everytown Research & Policy, EveryShot 2025 in Review everytownresearch.org
- Everytown Research & Policy, Road Rage Incidents by State, 2023 (graph) everytownresearch.org
- The Trace, Gun Violence Data Hub, Road Rage Shootings by State map (Gun Violence Archive data) datawrapper.dwcdn.net
- The Trace, chart data for Road Rage Shootings Have Surged Over the Past Decade (Gun Violence Archive data), RevRated calculation road-rage-shootings.netlify.app
- National Safety Council, Injury Facts: Improper Driving and Road Rage (NSC analysis of NHTSA FARS data) injuryfacts.nsc.org
- National Safety Council, Injury Facts: Improper Driving and Road Rage (NSC analysis of NHTSA FARS data), 2017 edition (archived) web.archive.org
- AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Aggressive Driving: Research Update (2009) web.archive.org
- NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts: Speeding, 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 823) crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov
- NHTSA press release, Speeding Catches Up with You (July 2, 2026) nhtsa.gov
- U.S. House Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, hearing "Road Rage: Causes and Dangers of Aggressive Driving" (July 17, 1997), testimony of NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez commdocs.house.gov
- Governors Highway Safety Association, Speeding & Aggressive Driving state laws ghsa.org
- The Trace, Texas Cracks Down on Road Rage Shootings (July 2025) thetrace.org
- Texas Legislature, S.B. No. 3031 (89th Legislature), enrolled version capitol.texas.gov
- Governors Highway Safety Association, Aggressive Driving Laws chart (archived 2016 edition); current GHSA page keeps the same 15-state and 11-state totals web.archive.org