'That's when people get hurt or killed,' he said 'There are 130 million drivers on the road every day, so even if 1 percent are willing to engage in violence that's still 1 million people.'īased on interviews with 2,705 people, the survey concluded that an estimated 8 million drivers engaged in more extreme behavior on streets and roads, such as bumping or ramming a vehicle on purpose or getting out of their cars to confront another driver. At that point, a duel is under way, and both parties can decide to disengage or continue to escalate, James said. At least 90 percent of drivers have that mental road rage at some point, according to James' research.īut often that behavior escalates into physical road rage, such as hand gestures, shouting out an open window or intentionally pulling in front of someone. You curse under your breath at someone who cuts you off, for example, or maybe even fantasize about ramming the other driver's car, but you don't engage. 'And it's going to continue to get worse, unfortunately, because our cultural tradition is to see the other driver as the enemy.'Ĭhances are if you drive, you get angry and vent, if only to yourself. 'We're in a serious public health crisis with road rage,' said Leon James, a professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii who has studied road rage for three decades. And an increasing number of drivers, some of them armed, are unable or unwilling to control themselves behind the wheel. Experts say the forces behind road rage - and the likely reasons for more violent encounters - are numerous and complex.

Dr carlos rodriguez marrero