Expedia Report: American Drivers Despise Texters, Admit to Speeding

More than anything else, the sight of a “texter” is what really gets U.S. drivers’ blood boiling.

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According to the 2015 Road Rage Report — commissioned annually by Expedia and conducted by GfK — 26 percent of 1,000 polled U.S. travelers consider texting the No. 1 aggravation when traversing America’s roads.

Tailgating (13 percent), hogging the left lane (12 percent), crawling (10 percent) and multitasking (seven percent) are also among the most despised driving behaviors. 

But drivers’ frustrations aren’t limited to what’s happening inside other cars. According to this spring’s report, backseat driving is the No. 1 in-car aggravation among Americans, with 52 percent of respondents citing the behavior as their top pet peeve.

The second-most annoying in-car stressor is the co-pilot who doesn’t assist with navigation (12 percent), followed by hogging the radio (10 percent), sleeping (eight percent), removing shoes (seven percent) and eating (six percent).

“Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer, and a moment when millions of drivers will take to the road. Now that drivers can book rental cars through Expedia’s updated mobile app, we’ve set out with the Road Rage study to examine what sorts of behavior make travel more pleasurable, and what sorts of behavior should be avoided,” said Expedia.com vice president and general manager John Morrey in a statement.  

“The study demonstrates that travelers, whether they’re on the road or in the air, expect – and reward – courtesy and respect from their fellow travelers,” added Morrey.

And despite acknowledging that the aforementioned behaviors warrant frustration, 61 percent and 29 percent of respondents admitted to speeding and following other vehicles too closely respectively. 

Interestingly, the report shows that nearly every respondent (97 percent) rated themselves as a careful driver. However, at the same time, respondents concluded that less than one-third (29 percent) of fellow drivers can be considered careful.

But more disconcerting is the fact that 13 percent of respondents said they have felt physically threatened by another driver. What’s more, four percent said they have actually exited their vehicle to confront a fellow driver. 

In addition to driving behaviors and sentiments, the report provided insights on how Americans view and use rental cars in 2015. The study revealed that 80 percent of respondents typically use a rental car for leisure purposes, with 76 percent citing price as the No. 1 factor they consider when booking. 

Finally, the report shows that 10 percent of respondents said they “strongly or somewhat agree” that they are “more likely to break the law in a rental car than in their own car.” 

That said, be safe out there this upcoming Memorial Day Weekend. 

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Expedia Report: American Drivers Despise Texters, Admit to Speeding