Men Cause Nearly 80% of Fatal Crashes Involving Aggressive or Careless Drivers

Road rage is unfortunately common — and, in the worst cases, such aggressive or careless driving can lead to fatal crashes.

The newest LendingTree study found that Chevrolet Silverado drivers caused the highest number of deadly crashes involving aggressive or careless driving in 2022, while men and millennials caused the highest percentage among the studied demographics.

After going over our findings, stick around to learn how to utilize car insurance to prepare against aggressive and careless drivers.

Key findings

• By vehicle model, Chevrolet Silverado drivers caused the highest number of fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving in 2022. Silverado drivers were responsible for 133 deadly crashes involving aggressive or careless driving, ahead of another pickup truck — the Ford F-150 — at 95. That’s followed by the Honda Accord, with its drivers causing 74 fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving.
• More broadly, Chevrolet drivers caused 439 deadly crashes involving aggressive or careless driving in 2022 — the highest by car brand. Ford (412) and Honda (275) followed. Notably, motorcycle brands Harley-Davidson and Yamaha made the top 10 list.
• Millennial drivers were most commonly involved in aggressive or careless fatal crashes in 2022. Millennials accounted for 35.7% of deadly crashes involving aggressive or careless driving. In a distant second, Gen Zers accounted for 21.4% of these fatal crashes. Conversely, baby boomers and the silent generation accounted for 13.8% and 3.5%, respectively, of deadly crashes involving aggressive or careless driving in 2022.
• Nearly 4 in 5 (78.4%) fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving in 2022 were caused by men. That compares with just 19.1% caused by women.
• By state, Louisiana had the highest percentage of fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving in 2022. 40.1% of deadly crashes in Louisiana in 2022 involved aggressive or careless driving — far ahead of the second-ranking state, Delaware, at 25.9%. Conversely, Maine had no fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving.

Chevrolet Silverado drivers cause most fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving

Truck drivers of various models were the most likely to cause deadly crashes involving aggressive or careless driving. (The categories we included are aggressive driving, road rage, careless driving, inattentive operation, improper driving and driving without due care.)

More specifically, Chevrolet Silverado drivers ranked first, causing 133 of these fatal crashes in 2022. That’s followed by Ford F-150 drivers at 95.

Popularity contributes to these totals, according to LendingTree auto insurance expert and licensed insurance agent Rob Bhatt. “Ford F-150s and Chevy Silverados have been the nation’s top-selling vehicles for years,” Bhatt says.

While pickup truck drivers have a reputation for being aggressive, a 2022 Insurify study found that they’re 2% less likely than the average motorist to demonstrate related driving behaviors, emphasizing the popularity angle as the main contributor.

Fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving by model

Source: LendingTree analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data. Note: This chart is limited to the 25 models with the most deadly crashes involving aggressive or careless driving.

The Honda Accord ranked third, accounting for 74 deadly crashes involving aggressive or careless driving. Like the top two ranking models, the Honda Accord’s popularity likely accounts for its ranking. It’s the third most popular model for auto insurance shoppers, according to the LendingTree study cited earlier. In fact, the 10 most popular models for insurance shoppers all appeared among the top 25 here.

By make, Chevrolet tops list

Looking more widely at vehicle makes, Chevrolet again ranked first. Chevrolet drivers were responsible for 439 fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving in 2022. That’s followed by Ford at 412 — the only other make above 400. Honda (275) rounded out the top three.

Popularity again makes the most sense here. By make, Ford and Chevrolet vehicles occupied four of the top 10 spots nationwide as the most popular for insurance shoppers. Combined, their models were the most popular in 29 of 50 states and 25 of the 50 largest cities. A Honda model topped the list in another nine states and six cities.

Fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving by make

Source: LendingTree analysis of NHTSA FARS data. Note: This chart is limited to the 10 makes with the most deadly crashes involving aggressive or careless driving.

Also worth noting, two motorcycle brands made the top 10 list for the number of fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving — Harley-Davidson at sixth and Yamaha at ninth.

Generally speaking, motorcycles are more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than cars, which likely accounts for these brands’ rankings. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the fatality rate per vehicle miles traveled for motorcyclists in 2021 was 30.20 — almost 24 times higher than the passenger car occupant fatality rate of 1.26.

Millennials, men most likely to be involved in these crashes

Turning to generations, millennial drivers ages 26 to 41 in 2022 were most commonly involved in aggressive or careless fatal crashes during this period, accounting for 35.7% of these crashes. Population likely contributes to this figure — millennials account for the highest share of adults in the U.S., making up 27.6% of the population.

Despite making up just 13.3% of the U.S. adult population (the second-lowest), Gen Zers ages 18 to 25 in 2022 accounted for 21.4% of these fatal crashes. Carelessness is likely the biggest factor here. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), young drivers are more likely to underestimate dangerous situations or make critical errors while driving.

Fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving by generation

Source: LendingTree analysis of NHTSA FARS data. Note: Total fatal crashes include those that fall outside the generations listed, as well as those where ages were unknown or not reported.

Conversely, baby boomers ages 58 to 76 in 2022 accounted for 13.8% of fatal crashes involving aggressiveness or carelessness, while the silent generation ages 77 to 94 in 2022 accounted for 3.5% — the lowest by age groups. Baby boomers make up 26.3% of the population, while the silent generation makes up 7.2%.

What do these figures mean for your insurance? “Your insurance rates usually become more affordable when you reach your mid-20s,” Bhatt says. “Obviously, getting into an accident at any age is going to cause your insurance rates to go up. Insurance companies typically check your driving record for tickets and accidents within the past three to five years, depending on the company, so the impact of an accident on your insurance bill can sting for a while.”

Notably, men are five times more likely than women to insure trucks. And the F-150 and Silverado, the two vehicles with the most fatal crashes involving aggressiveness or carelessness, are the two most popular vehicles among male insurance shoppers.

Fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving by gender

Source: LendingTree analysis of NHTSA FARS data. Note: Total fatal crashes include those where genders were unknown, not reported or other.

As for the other 2.5%, the genders were either unknown or not reported.

It’s also worth noting that 23.0% of all fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving also involved alcohol. Meanwhile, 14.1% involved drug use.

Fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving by drug or alcohol involvement

Source: LendingTree analysis of NHTSA FARS data.

Louisiana has highest percentage of these deadly crashes

By state, Louisiana ranked first. Of the fatal crashes in Louisiana, 40.1% involved aggressive or careless driving. That’s significantly more than the second-ranking state, Delaware, where 25.9% of fatal crashes involved aggressiveness or carelessness.

Following that, the District of Columbia ranked third, with 25.0% of its fatal crashes involving aggressiveness or carelessness.

States with the highest percentage of fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving

Source: LendingTree analysis of NHTSA FARS data.

Conversely, Maine had no fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving — the only state without related deadly crashes. Following that, Mississippi and Minnesota had just one fatal crash involving aggressive or careless driving, accounting for 0.2% of total fatal crashes in both states.

Full rankings

States with the highest percentage of fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving

Source: LendingTree analysis of NHTSA FARS data.

Protecting yourself against aggressive or careless drivers: Top expert tips

It’s easy to teach yourself not to drive aggressively or carelessly, but we can’t expect other drivers to do the same. To protect yourself against other drivers, Bhatt recommends the following:

• Always drive defensively. “Avoiding the physical harm that can result from a traffic accident is the greatest reward for driving safely, but driving safely can also go a long way toward keeping your insurance rates low,” he says. “Constantly be aware of your surroundings. In addition to paying attention to the vehicles and conditions immediately in front of you, you also need to regularly monitor what’s happening farther up the road as well as off to the side and behind your vehicle with your mirrors.”
• Avoid escalation. “You never want to escalate a situation when someone is yelling, honking or gesturing at you, regardless of who is to blame for an unsafe action,” Bhatt says. “In fact, avoid eye contact altogether. If the other driver escalates the situation, consider driving to a safe public location or even a nearby police station to take yourself out of harm’s way.”
• Understand and avoid the leading causes of car crashes. “These include speed, impairment and distraction,” he says. “Speed is a form of aggressive driving. Impairment and distraction are forms of carelessness. We can each choose to avoid these behaviors ourselves. Unfortunately, too many others choose not to avoid these and other forms of aggressive or careless driving. The best thing to do is to avoid them.”

Methodology

LendingTree researchers analyzed and combined multiple National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) datasets to calculate fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving in each state, as well as for various categories.

By state, each state’s percentage of fatal crashes involving aggressive driving/road rage or careless driving, inattentive operation, improper driving and driving without due care was calculated for 2022. The states were ranked by these percentages.

Nationally, categories evaluated for fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving in 2022 included:

• Vehicle make
• Vehicle model
• Generation
• Gender
• Alcohol/drug involvement

To define generations, LendingTree researchers used the following ranges from the Pew Research Center:

• Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2004; ages 18 to 25 in 2022 — we only included Gen Z adults)
• Millennial (born between 1981 and 1996; ages 26 to 41 in 2022)
• Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980; ages 42 to 57 in 2022)
• Baby boomer (born between 1946 and 1964; ages 58 to 76 in 2022)
• Silent generation (born between 1928 and 1945; ages 77 to 94 in 2022)