Why are drivers so angry in Illinois? Report puts state in top 10 for road rage
How angry are Illinois drivers? Fortunately, not as livid as Arizona motorists, who earned the dubious honor of first in the nation for road rage, according to a new Forbes Advisor study.
But the Prairie State did rank eighth in the U.S. for confrontational driving, based on a survey of 10,000 people.
It's not surprising, given “all the major construction projects, the gridlock, the delays, the hot weather and the social media that seems to prove out it's OK to get into other people's faces,” traffic expert Kris Habermehl said.
Stress, congestion and running late frequently were cited as reasons for getting angry, drivers told Forbes. The most common location for road rage was on city streets, followed by highways.
The report comes as recent data shows deadly crashes linked to aggressive driving more than doubled in 10 years across the U.S.
In 2011, 258 road rage-related fatal crashes occurred, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. In comparison, there were 585 in 2020 and 608 in 2021.
In Illinois, nearly 30% of motorists said another driver had gotten out of their vehicle to scream at or fight with them, Forbes reported.
Illinoisans also had the highest tally — 23.5% — of people saying their car had been forced off the road at one point.
Another 61% reported being confronted with obscene hand gestures.
Not good. However, the Chicago area is in a tough spot, Habermehl noted.
It's not only a magnet for Midwestern visitors, but it's also a crossroads for the nation — at the same time the Kennedy Expressway and Tri-State Tollway are being rebuilt.
The CBS 2 Chicago traffic and airborne spot news reporter recalled witnessing and intervening in a road rage occurrence involving two women in the suburbs this summer.
“I saw a young woman banging on the window of a Mercedes,” Habermehl said. He rolled down his window and asked, “What are you doing?”
The young driver accused the other of dangerous driving and almost hitting her car.
“That's a human being in there, and you need to act like a human being too,” Habermehl told her, and he encouraged both to apologize.
Nearly 80% of drivers surveyed by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety in 2019 admitted to feeling angry and aggressive while behind the wheel.
The key is not to respond personally, because most drivers who do stupid or inconsiderate things are “rushed, distracted or upset,” AAA advised.
The drivers' club also recommends avoiding eye contact with enraged drivers, not responding to aggression with aggression, and calling 911 or heading to a public place such as a police station or hospital if you feel threatened.
In the meantime, be tolerant, Habermehl advised. “We've all done it. We've all accidentally cut somebody off. We need to help each other.”
Either that or move to Delaware, which Forbes ranked No. 1 in the nation for nice drivers.