NEW YORK  – An estimated 80
percent of U.S. motorists have engaged in aggressive driving, including tailgating,
honking and, in extreme cases, ramming other vehicles when angered, according
to a study released on Thursday.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s report projected that
about 104 million drivers, or half of those on the road, have followed other
vehicles too closely to express their displeasure or frustration. The study
includes results of an online survey of 2,705 licensed U.S. drivers aged 16 and
older.

A much smaller number, about 8 million, engaged in more extreme
and violent driving, or “road rage,” including ramming other
vehicles, the report said.

“Inconsiderate driving, bad traffic and the daily stresses of
life can transform minor frustrations into dangerous road rage,” Jurek
Grabowski, the foundation’s director of research, said in a statement. “Far too
many drivers are losing themselves in the heat of the moment and lashing out in
ways that could turn deadly.”

Incidents of aggressive driving, which the report says
contributed to the thousands of fatal crashes in the United States each year,
appear to be on the rise, according to the foundation.

While the report is the first of its kind released by the
American Automobile Association affiliate, it has done anecdotal studies on
aggressive driving in the past, using only data taken from news coverage.

The margin of error for statistics derived from all respondents
is as wide as plus or minus 2.5 percentage points but larger for questions
asked to only a subset of participants, the foundation said.

Male drivers aged 19 to 39 were far more likely to than female
and older motorists to drive aggressively. Males also were three times more
likely than females to exit their cars to confront other drivers or ram their
vehicles into others.

Drivers in the Northeast were more prone to yell, honk or make
angry gestures than elsewhere in the country.

Those
who reported running red lights or speeding were also more likely to be
aggressive behind the wheel.