For better or worse, road rage exists on America’s highways and happens for many reasons. Whether it’s someone not using their turn signal, cutting you off, or just driving poorly, America has become a country that is quick to get angry while behind the wheel. This is truer in certain states, where there is an even greater likelihood of anger developing.
According to data compiled by Consumer Affairs, states like Montana, Wisconsin, and New Mexico are all in the top 10 states with the most road rage. To make this determination, six separate metrics were evaluated and then added up to determine a “road rage score.” With this in mind, let’s complete the list and look at all 10 states with the most road rage in America in descending order down to the worst state for road rage.
Why Are We Covering This?
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When you think of 24.7 Wall St., the site name conjures up images of conversations about stock and company quarterly performances. However, we are also a website that wants you to make informed decisions about your life, which includes knowing whether a potential move to another state could be met with nasty road rage. As such, this list can be extremely helpful if you want to avoid living somewhere where aggressive and/or careless driving is the norm.
10. Georgia
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- Road rage score: 28.55
- Percentage of accidents due to aggressive and/or careless driving: 42.5%
While Georgia isn’t the worst state with angry drivers, it’s still in the top 10. Unsurprisingly, the percentage of accidents that were due to aggressive behavior is around 42.5%. Even for the 10th-worst state, this is a ridiculously high number. As late as last year, Atlanta’s City Council members have encouraged increased fines and jail time for speeders. While it remains to be seen if these efforts will curb poor driving in Georgia, it’s at least a step in the right direction.
9. Wisconsin
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- Road rage score: 30.63
- Percentage of accidents due to aggressive and/or careless driving: 56.4%
One thing you might think about Wisconsin is that midwestern friendliness shines through above all else. This might be true in many ways, but not when driving, as Wisconsin is the 9th worst state for angry drivers. At least 56.4% of accidents are tied to aggressive or careless driving, which is directly attributed to road rage. More importantly, at least 1 incident out of every 100,000 Wisconsin residents includes a gun.
8. Delaware
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- Road rage score: 30.73
- Percentage of accidents due to aggressive and/or careless driving: 47.6%
You might think that Delaware’s small size would help it stay off the radar as far as angry drivers. Unfortunately, the opposite is true, as Delaware ranks as the 8th worst state in the country. While incidents revolving around gun violence are low, you still have over 47% of all incidents related to aggressive/careless driving. This is still a relatively high number considering the size of the state and one that should be telling Delaware drivers to give the gas pedal a rest from time to time.
7. North Carolina
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- Road rage score: 33.66
- Percentage of accidents due to aggressive and/or careless driving: 54.5%
North Carolina is another state you hope would be better at handling road rage. Instead, the opposite is true, as it’s the 7th worst state for angry drivers. Right around 54.5% of all road rage incidents are related to aggressive and/or careless driving, while 1.77 incidents out of every 100,000 are related to careless speeding. Consumer Affairs attributes some of North Carolina’s frustrations to too much congestion, but it’s still not an excuse for such angry driving.
6. New Jersey
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- Road rage score: 36.20
- Percentage of accidents due to aggressive and/or careless driving: 72.1%
The only real surprise with New Jersey’s appearance on this list is that it’s not the state with the angriest drivers. Instead, it’s only the 6th worst state, which is good news for New Jersey residents. What’s not good news is that a whopping 72.1% of all road rage incidents are related to aggressive and or careless driving. The news for Jersey gets worse when you consider it does have the nation’s highest percentage at 72.8% of fatalities on the road related to aggressive and/or careless driving.
5. Arkansas
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- Road rage score: 40.95
- Percentage of accidents due to aggressive and/or careless driving: 62.3%
The good news is that road rage incidents in Arkansas involving a weapon happen infrequently enough barely to register on Consumer Affairs tracking. However, at 61.9% of all incidents involving aggressive driving, there is also clear evidence that road rage is alive and well in Arkansas. Unfortunately, incidents are frequent enough for the state to be listed as the 5th worst in the US. Unfortunately, Arkansas also has the distinction of being the worst state for fatal accidents due to road rage incidents and aggressive driving.
4. Colorado
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- Road rage score: 41.42
- Percentage of accidents due to aggressive and/or careless driving: 61.9%
The idea of Colorado being scenic with mountain ranges everywhere in the background might be true, but it hides an underbelly of aggressive driving. Scoring high enough with its road rage score to be the fourth-worst state in the nation, Colorado sees 61.9% of all incidents related to aggressive and/or careless driving. The good news is that Colorado is taking corrective action, and increased fines for aggressive driving have helped reduce the number of fatal incidents.
3. Montana
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- Road rage score: 42.44
- Percentage of accidents due to aggressive and/or careless driving: 71.2%
While we might like to think of Montana as the Yellowstone television show, there’s far more to the state than just a TV show. To be more clear, Montana is anything but a stress-free driving experience. With 71.2% of all incidents related to aggressive and/or careless driving, it’s clear that Montana is home to plenty of road rage. What makes the environment worse is that there is plenty of open land to keep your foot on the gas and smaller police forces with which to enforce local laws.
2. New Mexico
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- Road rage score: 44.66
- Percentage of accidents due to aggressive and/or careless driving: 50.1%
If you move to New Mexico, be prepared to deal with plenty of aggressive driving. This is because the state enjoys almost double the national average in citations written by law enforcement for careless driving. When you consider the number of accidents due to aggressive driving is 50.1%, it’s clear that New Mexico has earned itself the number two position on the list of the angriest drivers in the United States.
1. Louisiana
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- Road rage score: 47.32
- Percentage of accidents due to aggressive and/or careless driving: 62.2%
Louisiana is the worst state in the country for angry drivers, and road rage is at its worst there. Over 62% of accidents happen as a result of aggressive and/or careless driving, while the state road rage score is the highest at 47.32. What’s worse is that Louisiana is also seeing an increase in the number of traffic fatalities as a result of aggressive driving, which is the wrong direction the state hopes to be moving in.
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