Dennis RomeroThe driver who crossed three lanes, making you slam on the brakes, just to make a late left turn. The motorist who can't seem to negotiate a right-hand turn from the right-most lane, making you wait for his imprecision. The bus driver who blasts through a fresh red light to stay on schedule.
They make you angry. We feel your rage.
Insurance comparison site AutoInsuranceCenter.com recently analyzed Instagram posts filtered by location and road-rage mentions to come up with a ranking of American cities with the most such rage.
Los Angeles was No. 1. And you're not surprised.
“This unique approach breaks down where, when and why American drivers are feeling most aggravated — and L.A. takes the top spot,” a spokeswoman for the site said.
New York came in second place among cities. Four other California towns, San Diego (fifth), San Francisco (sixth), Anaheim (seventh) and Santa Monica (11th, and taken separately from L.A.), were high on the ranking of road-rage cities.
Indeed, California ranked second among states for road rage, beaten only by Hawaii, according to the Instagram road-rage study.
“Our original, exclusive study analyzed more than 65,000 Instagram posts hashtagged #RoadRage and found that Californians are among the most aggravated,” the spokeswoman said. “Californians have the second most road rage according to Instagram, with more than 3,500 posts per 100,000 people — nearly 60 percent more than second-place New Yorkers.”
Your worst time for road rage is 6 p.m., the study found. The worst day is Friday. The worst month is August. Sunday is the mellowest day.
The study isn't perfect: It relies on those who use Instagram. It could favor, for example, young people and those living in more tech-savvy cities. And, thankfully, not everyone posts their road-rage experiences on social media.
AutoInsuranceCenter.com analysts think there's a correlation between road rage and long commute times.
“One recent study revealed that New York City and Los Angeles both rank high when it comes to average commute times — and more time spent commuting translates into increased risk of various lifestyle issues, including depression and anxiety, decreased happiness levels and poor sleep quality,” the site states. “In light of this information, it’s easy to see how hours spent on the road could lead to frustration for motorists.”
Keep calm and drive on, people. Get home in one piece.
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