Smart phone apps can yield unexpected information. Well, actually, that’s probably their greatest value to the tech companies, but thta’s a different story. In this case, GasBuddy’s app from millions of drives shows that driving habits were 175% more aggressive during this recent 2018 Thanksgiving holiday. Specifically, events such as quick acceleration, hard braking and speeding. And cursing and giving the finger (just kidding).
Now here’s the really big surprise:
These aggressive driving habits occur most during the beginning of the holiday period, and were most intense on the drive to the destination (on Wednesday) versus the return trip. And driving on the actual holiday (Thursday) was the calmest of the whole period (Nov. 21-25).
The top ten states with the most aggressive holiday drivers were:
- Georgia
- California
- Texas
- Louisiana
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Arizona
- Tennessee
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
The findings were compiled using data from GasBuddy’s Drives feature that provides motorists with an assessment of their driving habits during their trip in an effort to improve fuel efficiency, mapping out when and where a poor driving habit occurred.
This video of the 405 in West Los Angeles on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving last year helps to explain the phenomena, as if it were necessary.
Here’s a tip: leave early on Thanksgiving morning.
My parents always have a habit of warning my sister and I around the holidays to drive careful. Just last night, my passenger mirror was nearly taken off by some yahoo on a sport bike as he took off around the line of traffic stopped at a light, only to be nearly hit as he tried to turn right around a car at the head of the line as the light turned green. It was one of those moments where you wait for the screech of brakes, and the horrible, hollow thud of a body hitting the road.
Thankfully no one was hurt, and the rider on the bike got cussed out for being an idiot.
Unfortunately that near miss is hardly a permanent cure, and he’ll probably try the same stunt next time the opportunity presents itself.
Sort of like the BMW driver I saw, swerving a slalom course around a three-lane freeway worth of packed traffic on a damp morning in Marin County recently. A mile’s worth of near-misses later she was standing by her crumpled Bimmer where it came to rest against a sign post…facing the wrong way. I saw no other stopped cars so she did it to herself.
Instant Karma.
Having lived in or driven through nearly half the states listed here my guess would be that they experienced a big uptick in aggressive driving because many drivers become more….tentative during the holidays. That is, slow drivers become even slower, folks who rarely use turn signals stop using them, and here in Florida folks who already make U-turns at the drop of a hat and into the path of oncoming traffic will decide to risk it all and ignore the signs prohibiting U-turns.
PLUS, everybody is in a hurry at holiday time.
I’ve just taken to assuming everyone else on the road isn’t paying attention or just an a**hole and keep my distances wherever possible.
ESPECIALLY during the holidays when it seems – apart from actual Thanksgiving/Christmas days when drivers indeed seem more courteous – those negative traits are amplified.
Nothing kills your Christmas spirit faster than having to avoid mean moms flying to the mall to get Johnny the last gotta-have-it thinguhmabob.
Pretty freakin’ shallow life if you ask me.
Like my old dad used to say, drive as though everyone else on the road is an idiot. Defensive driving.
A couple of times I’ve had to drive somewhere on the Wednesday of Thanksgiving week. It’s pretty horrendous. Traffic backs up badly on I-10 south of Phoenix, and on I-17 on a long climb north of Phoenix.
This year, though, even Thanksgiving Day was busier than usual; there had been a couple of accidents on I-10 slowing things down, drivers were more aggressive than in past years, and even I-17 north of Phoenix was busier than in past years. I’ll still take the day itself over traveling on Wednesday. We’ll see the in-laws again for Christmas, and we’ll travel on Christmas Day itself. Much better than traveling on Christmas Eve!
It’s funny. A group of us here in the great white salted North were discussing the Christmas Idiot driver season having started this weekend and holiday driving is the first thing on CC!
I am a driver who accelerates slow but steady from lights and tries to time stoplights rather than rushing up and slamming on the brakes.
Eleven months of the year nothing but so far this month I’ve had three very irate drivers play a Christmas tune on their horns because I dared to delay their Christmas dash.
There could be a QQOTD. When someone gets horn happy behind you do you;
Get intimidated
Ignore them
Give them a real reason to use their horn!
Paul’s final tip with this article, ‘leave early on Thanksgiving morning’, is excellent advice. I’ve always been an early riser, and I have found that on weekends and holidays, people are getting up and out later and later. This is purely an anecdotal observation, but I find if you can head out early, you can avoid much traffic (and busy shoppers). I can’t say this advice would apply to always busy urban areas. But I’ve found most places I’ve driven to, you can avoid much congestion and stress, just by being an early bird.
I am thankful for more roadside checks and more aggressive anti-drinking and driving campaigns. I remember growing up in the 70s and early 80s, it seemed driving drunk was more socially accepted, and much more common.
I got cussed out by a guy in a Smart car who looked like Santa back in the summer for entering a 4 way stop at the same time. Good thing I did stop my motorcycle in the middle of the intersection, I think Santa would have run me over.
Hopefully the reindeer are moderating their erratic boss this month 😉
Maybe Santa has been affected by the tariffs? You’d think he’d have it easier now that every kid’s list is video games and I-phones. Should be able to do it all in one trip.
Interesting that the top ten states are all in the south and west. I would have expected some northeastern states to place. I guess those of us in the central and upper midwest are just too nice for this kind of thing. 🙂
I’ll be travelling to Baltimore for a convention next year. I wonder what traffic will be like? I’ve never been outside of the South.
I noticed that, as well.
I have to wonder if it’s because a number of metro areas in these states have experienced population explosions in the past few decades. In my experience that leads to two traffic problems: Lack of infrastructure improvements at a pace that is fast enough to keep up with the population growth, and long-time residents who never learned how to drive in heavy traffic – or on them there newfangled freeways, for that matter.
I sort of wonder what happens if we cross the results of that study with the results of this study: Wealthy Drivers More Likely to Drive Like Jerks
“I worked my butt off to not have to stop at stop signs. I went to Yale!”.
My rule is that the guy with the biggest, least valuable car wins. 🙂
+1
Nothing says “right of way” more than driving some thirty year old full-size American vehicle. Extra points if said vehicle is already sporting some battle scars and/or rust spots “repaired” with Bondo and a couple of rattle cans of cheap spray paint.
I regularly drive a 2011 Fiesta and a dirty, rusty
2001 Suburban. I find the most aggressive drivers are in bro-dozers, and being in the Fiesta is a sort of “red flag to a bull”.
The “I’ve been known to circumcize a gnat” looks of the Suburban seem to preclude any need for aggressive driving on my part – anyone in anything shiny will give me a wide berth.
I worked at a Kmart store when I was in high school.
After witnessing people throwing punches over cabbage patch dolls, the concept of “peace on earth, good will to men, and get the *(&^ out of my way” doesn’t surprise me.
Peace on earth; goodwill on a case-by-case basis.
I have always lived my adult life by swearing off any driving during the run up to and run down from Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a college student it wasn’t an issue between 1972-77 along US 5 which had little traffic back then.
I got a chuckle out of these comments. It’s always “the other guy” who drives aggressively. i don’t know about the holidays, but at most times I’m aware my driving style won’t cause anyone to think I practice santiera.
That said, Merry effing Christmas and git the freak outta my way….
I don’t understand how the NJ isn’t on the list. I drive the Garden State Parkway every morning and evening during rush hour. I set my cruise at 68-70 mph and keep to the right lane 95% of the time. Over that last few weeks it’s like I’m standing still in a river during a salmon spawn! The posted 65 mph limit(55 in some spots) isn’t even a suggestion. 75-80 is the norm, and few even know what the stalk protruding out of the left side of the steering coumn is for. The slow lane is reserved for texting and speedy nut jobs who feel that left lane passing is for fools. Accident ahead? Don’t worry as soon as you rubberneck past it, make sure you’re on the phone with the pedal to the metal to make up for lost time. Last month I witnessed a boat stuck in tree and the Volvo that was towing it on it’s side on coming facing traffic. Didn’t phase a soul.
That video could have been shot on ANY weekday evening all year. The 405, from the Ventura freeway (US 101) to LAX and the South Bay curve look like that.
I work at LAX and the roadways and nearby streets are jammed before and after major holidays. What is amazing, except for the occasional terror of a wrong way driver, is how well all that airport traffic works without much use of horns or bent metal. Just watch out for that Prius taxi bearing down on you in a crosswalk.