If you spend any time behind the wheel of a car, you probably know them well — those drivers who clog up your favorite roads, staring down into their smartphones all the while.
The study is Expedia’s yearly analysis of driving etiquette — a statistical way to kick off the summer road trip season. Data from this year’s effort indicated that “The Texter” generates the most fury among pre-established categories of American drivers, earning scorn of 26 percent of 1,000 respondents.
The complete list of Road Rage etiquette violators follows:
The Texter (26 percent)
The Tailgater (13 percent)
The Left-Lane Hog (12 percent)
The Crawler (10 percent)
The Multitasker (7 percent)
The Drifter (7 percent)
The Inconsiderate (6 percent)
The Swerver (5 percent)
The Speeder (4 percent)
The Unappreciative (3 percent)
The Honker (2 percent)
The Red Light Racer (1 percent)
Expedia claims the report is its attempt to examine what sorts of road behavior make car travel more pleasurable, and what sorts of behavior should be avoided. In short, the study demonstrates that travelers, whether they’re on the road or in the air, expect and reward courtesy and respect from their fellow travelers.
In addition to evaluating the most deplorable driver behaviors, the report also found these are the least popular in-car passenger behavior
• Back-seat driving (52 percent of survey respondents).
• Reluctant Co-Pilot — the co-pilot who won’t help navigate — ranked second (12 percent)
• Radio Hog” (10 percent)
• The Snoozer” (8 percent)
• The Shoe Remover” (7 percent).
Americans: Drive As I Say, Not As I Do
• 51 percent of respondents reported that they loathe sharing the road with bad drivers, more than cyclists, buses, taxis, joggers, and walkers combined.
• Nearly all respondents (97 percent) rate themselves as “careful” drivers
• 29 percent of other drivers merit that same description
• 61 percent of respondents admitted to speeding
• 29 percent admitted to following other vehicles too closely (ahem, we’re looking at you, Tailgaters)
• 26 percent of respondents said they have yelled or used profanity at another driver
• 17 percent of respondents said they have made a rude gesture
• 53 percent of respondents said they have been on the receiving end of one
• 4 percent of respondents said they have exited their vehicle to engage angrily with another motorist.
• 13 percent of respondents have felt physically threatened by another driver.
Perhaps most alarmingly — at least when considering current research on operating cell phones while driving — 25 percent of all respondents admitted to “regularly or occasionally” talking on their mobile phone while driving.
Why I’m misbehaving
• 21 percent reported they were running late
• 14 percent felt provoked by other drivers
• 13 percent felt triggered by another driver who was not paying attention.
Rudeness behind the wheel also can be attributed in part to where people drive — the Expedia 2015 Road Rage Report indicated that New York City was cited as having the rudest drivers (42 percent), with Los Angeles (32 percent) and Chicago (18 percent) rounding out the top three. (For what it’s worth, 1 percent of respondents felt drivers in Portland, Oregon, were rude.)
Using apps on the road
Other results of the Expedia study conducted by GfK, an independent global market research company, offered a glimpse at how travelers are using apps when they hit the road:
• 20 percent of respondents said they have downloaded apps specifically to use while driving.
• 83 percent of respondents said they have used a map app while in the car
• 35 percent of respondents preferred Google Maps
• only 12 percent said they rely instead on Apple Maps
• 38 percent of respondents said they have used a music app in the car
• 35 percent said they have used an app to find a restaurant
• 28 percent to find a gas station
• 16 percent to find a hotel.
Thirty-two percent of respondents said they typically still rely on written and/or printed directions when driving.
Random driver issues — gasoline prices and attitude
Finally, results from the Expedia 2015 Road Rage Report captured a number of gas price predictions and random attitudes and facts about drivers.
• 64 percent of respondents said they believe gas prices will rise this summer
• 12 percent said they believe gas prices will fall
• 40 percent of respondents would refuse to drive in a country such as England, where motorists use the opposite side of the road.
• 25 percent of respondents had rented a car within the past year
• 26 percent never have rented a car
• 80 percent of respondents said they typically rent cars for leisure purposes
• 76 percent of respondents said the most important feature in a rental car decision is price
• 10 percent of respondents said they “strongly or somewhat agree” with the statement that they are “more likely to break the law in a rental car than in their own car.”
I know, I know — these are a lot of numbers. The bottom line: summertime is road-trip time, and it’s important to be mindful of others when you hit the road. Before you reach for that cell phone in the HOV lane or flip someone the bird, think about how your actions might impact others around you. And if you’re thinking about going rogue in a rental, remember: the law is the law, no matter whose wheels you’ve got.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
