Golden State motorists lead the nation in cutting people off, tailgating, and exiting their vehicles to fight, a Forbes survey shows. Honk if you knew that.
The study surveyed 10,000 licensed drivers and compared all 50 states in nine categories. Some of the categories included drivers who force other cars off the road, drivers who exit their cars to fight with others, tailgating, and honking—each weighted on a percentage basis to equal a total score of 100.
California received 100 percent, Forbes reported.
“California drivers ranked as the most confrontational drivers across all 50 states, with a high percentage of drivers experiencing some type of road rage, including being cut off, cursed at, and tailgating,” Forbes said in a report published July 22.
The Golden State had the third-highest percentage of drivers—47.5 percent—who said another driver had cut them off on purpose, and the fourth-highest percentage—32 percent—of drivers who had been yelled at, insulted, cursed, and threatened.
The state also ranked among the top 10 for tailgating, and drivers who reported people exiting their cars to fight with them.
Arizona took the top spot last year, but dropped to 14th place in 2024, while California rose from 13th place to first.
Missouri ranked second in the United States with 99.44 percent, reporting a high percentage of drivers who had been yelled at, insulted, or threatened by another driver. The state was also second-highest for the percentage of drivers who reported being cut off by another driver.
Utah and Oklahoma came in third and fourth place.
Hawaii is home to the most polite drivers in the United States.
Driving in the United States is getting more dangerous as drivers become more confrontational. The number of violent road rage shootings across the country has surged since 2014, according to analysis of data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.
Between 2014 and 2023, road aggression that involved shootings increased from 92 to 481—an increase of more than 400 percent, according to the archive.
The Forbes 2024 study also reported 41 percent of drivers witnessed an act of road rage in the past 12 months, and 32 percent experienced road rage from another driver.
“Aggressive driving and road rage are not only dangerous, but they can also lead to an increase in car insurance rates if they result in a serious crash or injury,” Forbes reported.
The average cost of car insurance is $2,150 a year, according to a Forbes Advisor analysis.
The survey considered 10,000 licensed U.S. drivers—at least 200 in each state—who were at least 18 years old and owned or leased at least one vehicle.