Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Feeling road rage set on? Instagram trends reveal you’re not alone

road rage instagram texting while driving
Lord Jim/Flickr
Of all the anger-inducing activities in our 21st century world, few manage to elicit the level of fury we feel behind the wheel. Road rage, that all-consuming, unthinking, truly terrifying moment of unbridled wrath, is becoming an increasingly common phenomenon — so much so, that it’s a trending theme on social media. As per the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), we’ve seen a notable rise in the the number of fatal accidents caused by road rage or aggressive driving since 2004. And with the advent of social media, companies like the Auto Insurance Center are able to better track when and where road rage is happening most, with hopes of mitigating their effects.

In a recent study, the Auto Insurance Center analyzed 65,535 Instagram posts hashtagged #RoadRage with the hopes of discovering where, when, and why drivers in the U.S. were most upset. As it turns out, August is the worst month when it comes to angry drivers. With summer vacations often leading to more cars on the road, motorists have more fodder for their fury. July comes in at a close second, again lending to the notion that driving in the summer is the worst.

Screen Shot 2016-05-08 at 3.54.40 PM
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In terms of days of the week, Sunday is apparently the least stressful day, but as the week progresses, people behind the wheel get antsier and antsier. By Friday, road rage posts have peaked, seeing nearly 10,500 Instagram hashtags. But by the weekend, people have found their roadway zen again. “The low rate of posts on weekends may point to a clear correlation between commuter-filled roads and incidents of anger,” the insurance company writes. Similarly, the time of day when road rage is most prevalent is in the rush hour as commuters try to make their way home from a busy workday. From 5 to 7 p.m., people are particularly angry with their fellow drivers.

Screen Shot 2016-05-08 at 3.54.51 PM
Image used with permission by copyright holder

So where is road rage the worst? Curiously, drivers in Hawaii, a state that one might expect to be a bit more laid back about driving (and just about everything), suffer most from road rage. But when you consider that traffic in Honolulu was recently ranked third-worst in the nation, and Hawaii is a hotbed for tourists, the frustration makes a bit more sense.

Still, as bad as Honolulu may be, it’s nothing when compared to Los Angeles and New York, the two cities that unsurprisingly logged the most #RoadRage posts. Curiously, Mount Pleasant in North Carolina came in at number three, suggesting a potential misnomer for the city.

Screen Shot 2016-05-08 at 3.55.01 PM
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ultimately, the Auto Insurance Center concludes, “True road rage — characterized by violence, injury, and even death — is a sobering issue about which true offenders are not likely to post on social media.” So what can you do to avoid these feelings? The agency suggests that you can “allow for extra time in case you run into delays, adjust your schedule to avoid driving through the worst traffic, and listen to music while you drive. If you start to feel angry, it’s vital to relax, breathe deeply, and consider taking a break to stretch your legs or sip some water.”

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
The Apple Car was reportedly dubbed ‘the Bread Loaf’
A man checks his phone in an Apple retail store in Grand Central Terminal.

A 2020 prototype of the so-called "Apple Car" was dubbed "the Bread Loaf" for its looks, according to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday.

In a deep dive into the costly project, which Apple canceled last month, the report described the vehicle as “a white minivan with rounded sides, an all-glass roof, sliding doors, and whitewall tires [that] was designed to comfortably seat four people and inspired by the classic flower-power Volkswagen microbus.”

Read more
The Rivian R2 SUV is up for preorder for only $45,000
Rivian R2

You can now get a Rivian without spending more than $70,000. After months of rumors and leaks, Rivian has finally taken the wraps off of the Rivian R2, its newest SUV, and the first to be built on the new Rivian R2 platform. The R2 is built to be Rivian's "Model 3 moment," or its attempt to build a car that's more accessible to the general public and thus could be sold at a much higher volume than the R1S or R1T ever were.

The R2 certainly cuts some corners to achieve the lower price point, but it actually still has a lot going for it -- especially as an electric SUV in this price range. It goes up against the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Mustang Mach-E, and Kia EV6, but it's much more of an SUV than a crossover-sized car and should appeal to those who want something larger and with Rivian's design sensibility.

Read more
The R3 is Rivian’s surprise electric crossover
Rivian R3

Rivian didn't just announce the R2 platform at its latest launch event -- in a surprise twist, it also announced the R3 crossover. The R3 is Rivian's smallest car yet, offering a size much closer to the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 than the SUVs that came before it.

Of course, not only is the Rivian R3 smaller, but presumably, it's also cheaper. Rivian didn't reveal actual pricing for the car, but it did say that it would be less than the R2's $45,000 price. Also, it may be some time before we start seeing the R3 on the road -- the car will follow the R2, which isn't set to be available until the first half of 2026.

Read more