Study reveals 96% of drivers surveyed admitted being aggressive behind the wheel, road rage

Speeding, weaving, cutting off other drivers, and other angry behavior from behind the wheel are on the rise on Long Island roads and nationwide, according to a AAA study that shows a major uptick in aggressive driving and local law enforcement.

In what may come as little surprise to Long Island drivers, 96% of those surveyed admitted to aggressive driving behavior in a nationwide study that surveyed about 3,000 drivers and focus groups.

"It’s terrible and absolutely terrifying driving here, especially on the Southern State. It's like a war zone out there," said one Long Islander interviewed, Kathy Owens, of Massapequa. "People are not friendly. They think they have to get somewhere and I let them go around. People are very aggressive and pretty mean."

Mike Armstrong, 73, of Lindenhurst, who served 32 years as a Suffolk police officer, said Tuesday that aggressive driving has increased with rising tempers and distracted drivers.

“It’s pretty wild. Aggressive drivers are a reflection of more aggression in society,” Armstrong said. “People, just think about where you're going and why you have to be there.”

According to AAA’s study, 82% of drivers admitted to speeding up through a yellow light to beat a red light and about 68% of drivers admitted to using the slow right lane to pass another vehicle. About 65% of respondents admitted using their horn rather than other measures to avoid a crash. The same number of drivers admitted to glaring at another driver when passing on the road.

More than half of drivers admitted to going 15 mph over the normal flow of traffic, which can often go well above the speed limit. 

The national increase in aggressive driving is certainly showing itself on Long Island, said Robert Sinclair, a spokesman for AAA’s Northeast Division.

"I think Long Island typifies all of the bad behaviors in this study. They all manifest while driving on the Long Island Expressway," Sinclair said. "Aggressive driving is going to lead to crashes, injuries and may lead to fatalities. These things come about as a result of bad behavior and can lead to road rage, the physical manifestation violent of aggressive driving,"

The study found about 11% of those surveyed admitted to violent road rage actions, including intentionally bumping a car or confronting another driver. About 20% of those asked said they had personal knowledge of someone threatened with a weapon on the road.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said the department gave out 26% more speeding tickets compared to last year at this time and reckless driving arrests were up by 25% compared to this point last year.

Suffolk and Nassau County police said more than 83,000 aggressive driving tickets were issued last year, a 70% increase compared to 2020, Newsday previously reported.

Long Island authorities say they have increased enforcement of aggressive driving on roads and parkways.

"Roadway safety is a top priority, and we have increased our presence on our highways to target aggressive drivers and those violating vehicle and traffic laws," Catalina said in a statement Tuesday. "If you do engage in aggressive driving, you risk getting a ticket or worse, being the reason someone is injured or killed."

Several drivers have been charged following road rage confrontations in Queens and Long Island, including two separate fatal crashes this year with motorcyclists killed off the Long Island Expressway. Just last April, a Great Neck motorcyclist, Ibis Baez, was killed off the expressway in North Hills after a road rage incident in which the other driver was charged. Other Long Island drivers have been charged with stabbings or pulling a gun during road rage confrontations.

Suffolk County rolled out a Street Takeover Taskforce, aimed at curbing and arresting drivers who use roads for car meetups, racing or other dangerous and aggressive maneuvers. In January, a member of the task force, Officer Brendon Gallagher, was in his vehicle during a high speed pursuit when he was struck by a speeding car and seriously injured on the LIE in Brentwood.

About 20% of drivers in the study reported cutting off another vehicle on purpose. Honking by aggressive drivers increased by 20% compared to a 2016 AAA study and making angry gestures were also up slightly.