In terms of daily activities, few are as dangerous as driving your car. And when it comes to driving safely, having your human factors under control can affect whether you make it to your destination on time and in one piece. Whether you’re in a hurry and going over the speed limit to get somewhere fast, nodding off from exhaustion during the morning commute, or slipping into autopilot due to familiarity, your physical and mental states have a strong influence over the risk you experience on the road. And while all the various human factors out there can influence your ability to drive safely, there is one that is almost synonymous with the activity: frustration.

Road rage is the experience of driving-induced anger, and it’s increasingly common. Chances are, you’ve noticed it getting worse since the coronavirus pandemic, and if you drive with any kind of frequency, you’ve probably experienced it. Maybe you yelled or honked in anger at someone who wasn’t driving as fast as you, or perhaps an angry driver tailgated you or flashed a rude gesture for something you didn’t even notice doing. Hopefully you’ve never been on either side of a violent interaction with another driver, but that’s a risk too. The phenomenon is on the rise, and like other human factors that affect our safety, we can help mitigate anger behind the wheel. But first we need to understand it.

Rage within the machine

Even the calmest folks can be susceptible to anger and frustration when driving, and there’s a scientific reason behind it. Driving is one of the most dangerous activities we partake in on a regular basis, and we understand this on a subconscious level. That naturally puts us into a fight-or-flight mode when our expectations of a drive go awry. If someone is driving too close, that makes you feel like you’re in danger (because you are in a dangerous situation), and the experience of that insecurity frequently manifests as a fight response that comes out as anger. And even those of us who experience flight responses can often lash out when feeling trapped by aggressive drivers or busy traffic. There’s no way around it: driving is frustrating.

The frustration we feel when we perceive danger is hardwired into our DNA, and it has physical symptoms: increased heart rate, tensing of muscles, sweating, and taking short breaths. Some people even see red. And it’s these intense feelings that make getting upset while driving such a serious hazard.

In fact, according to a recent survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 96% of drivers admitted to at least one aggressive driving behavior in the past year. These behaviors include speeding, tailgating and cutting off other vehicles. And these aren’t just isolated incidents—the study suggests these are part of a larger, self-sustaining pattern of aggression behind the wheel. The most significant predictor of aggressive driving, according to the research, is how much a person is exposed to other people’s aggressive driving. It’s a vicious cycle of road rage.

Tunnel vision, anxiety and rage culture

When frustration kicks in behind the wheel, the risk doesn’t just climb—it multiplies. While the worst-case scenarios for road rage are violent encounters, the more subtle effects of frustration are dangerous all by themselves.

Eyes not on task: Road rage can give you tunnel vision, as you focus on the perceived source of your anger—whether it’s a sedan with out-of-state plates driving too slowly and making you late, or a large truck behind you riding your bumper. Frustration has the tendency to turn our focus into a laser beam pointed at one subject, and that can be fatal in situations like driving where you need to be aware of everything around you, from other cars to speed limits and pedestrians.

Mind not on task: Frustration has a way of taking over our minds, making us fixate on a perceived slight or fantasize about “teaching the idiot in the next car a lesson.” When you’re in anger mode, you’re not fully processing lane changes, traffic signals, or unexpected hazards that suddenly appear, like people or animals entering the roadway.

The feedback loop: As mentioned above, rage in one person sparks a fury in another. The AAA survey found that aggression is contagious: when drivers witness hostile behaviors, they’re more likely to respond aggressively themselves. This builds a culture of frustration on the road, characterized by high speeds, tailgating, honking, and other anxiety-inducing behaviors guaranteed to bring out even more dangerous human factors.

Rage gets real: The road rage feedback loop is nothing to shrug off. Because of its escalating nature, the worst outcomes of negative driving culture are violent encounters with weapons. According to an analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive by The Trace, in 2023, a person was shot in a road rage incident every 18 hours.

Dousing the flames

Rage doesn’t have to be a rule of the road. Frustrated drivers often create other frustrated drivers, powering feedback loops and chain reactions that amplify the human factors of everyone in proximity. Research shows that by driving calmly and contributing to a less frantic climate on the streets, we can all do our part in shifting culture away from frustration to something safer.

Here are some tips that can help dampen the heat of driving tempers and help everyone stay calm in their cars:

• Give yourself extra time—Being rushed is one of the most common triggers for aggressive behavior. Studies list “running late” and “heavy traffic” among leading causes for aggressive driving.
• Take deep breaths—If you find yourself clenching your jaw, tensing your muscles or upset by someone else’s driving, pause for a moment. Those are signs your body’s fight-or-flight response is engaged. By taking a few deep breaths, you can restart your thinking brain instead of just your emotional brain.
• Turn other people’s driving into free learning—Instead of getting angry at another driver based on their behavior, use it as an opportunity to learn from their risk patterns. By taking a moment to recognize dangerous driving in others, we can remind ourselves to avoid doing the same things.
• Maintain safe distances and avoid escalation—Tailgating, flashing lights and honking out of anger can escalate frustration and anxiety, making a dangerous situation even riskier. Do your best to keep your distance from other cars and avoid provocative reactions.
• Be aware of your state of mind—If you’re already stressed from work or home life, or if you’re running late, recognize that driving under those emotions is more dangerous than normal. Your tolerance for things not going as expected will be lower in those states, but by acknowledging the feelings and taking a moment to center yourself, you can win back some patience.
• Don’t take it personally—Behind the wheel, many perceived slights are not personal, even if they feel that way. Someone cutting you off, for example, may be due to the other driver being distracted or avoiding a hazard. Decentering yourself and cutting other drivers some slack can go a long way to fighting frustration.
• If you feel threatened, prioritize safety—In a perfect world, everyone would take the above advice and road rage wouldn’t get violent. But if an interaction with another motorist escalates—if tailgating becomes intimidation, or someone steps out of their car—avoid a direct response. Pull over in a public, well-lit place, lock your doors and call authorities if needed.

Do your part 

By keeping a cool head and managing our own human factors, we are helping make roads safer and less infuriating for everyone. The next time you take the wheel, recognize that your mood, your time pressure and recent events all influence how you drive. Small actions—letting someone merge, giving someone extra space—don’t just make you a safer driver, they help reduce the overall culture of frustration and anger on the road.