Men drive more aggressively than women, upping their chances of dying in a car crash, according to a survey by AAA.
The organization surveyed thousands of drivers across the U.S. and asked them about their aggressive driving behaviors: excessive speeding, tailgating, aggressive honking, running red lights and dangerous lane switching.
Men outpaced women in nearly every aggressive driving category, according to the AAA release. The survey findings were first included in a safety report published earlier this year.
Among the findings:
- Men were more likely than women to make rude gesture or honk at another driver — 35.4% to 28%.
- Men were more likely than women to drive aggressively by switching lanes quickly and/or by driving very closely behind another car — 31.5% to 21.4%.
- Men were more likely than women to follow the vehicle in front closely to prevent another vehicle from merging — 37.8% to 29.3%.
But aggressive driving is not limited to men, according to the data. Men and women, for example, were equally likely to speed and run red lights, the report said.
The survey also showed that a staggering 8 in 10 Americans drive aggressively, no matter their gender.
Following the study, experts pleaded with drivers to tamp down the aggression behind the wheel.
“Speeding, red-light running and cutting other drivers off can kill you, your passengers and others sharing the road,” said Jake Nelson, AAA’s director of traffic safety advocacy. “Driving aggressively isn’t worth the risk.”
A D.C. traffic report echoed AAA’s conclusion that men are more likely to drive with aggression, and warned against the behavior. In 2019, nearly 70% of those arrested in D.C. for aggressive driving were men, according to D.C. traffic stop data.
Experts said that driving aggressively increases the chances of dying behind the wheel.
John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of public and government affairs, said men have a 77% higher risk of dying in a car cash than women.
Traffic data shows the payoff for aggressive driving only amounts to a few minutes taken off a mileslong commute.
