Men vs. Women: Who Are the Angriest on the Road?

How often do we stumble upon a road rage video in which an altercation between two men suddenly turns violent? Weekly? Daily? With the frequency at which these unfortunate motoring incidents happen, it’s easy to conclude that men are more prone to road violence than women. But it may surprise you to know that it’s actually the other way around. Different studies done by polling bodies, insurance companies and car manufacturers on the topic have all yielded the same results—compared to men, women are more inclined to display their anger on the road.

The Harris Interactive Survey

In 2012, market research company Harris Interactive conducted a survey that polled between 3,800 and 3,900 drivers. Of the survey’s respondents, 61 percent of women reported to having road rage. By comparison, only 56 percent of men said they felt road rage. Other takeaways from the survey included:

• Younger drivers are more likely to experience road rage than older ones
• Around 9 percent of commuters have actually had physical altercations with other drivers
• 17 percent of those polled claimed they experienced less road rage during warm seasons, while 10 percent said they experienced more
• 24 percent of drivers have been involved in a road accident on the way to work

The Hyundai Motor UK Study

A more recent study by Hyundai also came to the same conclusion. The South Korean car brand’s study involved 1,000 UK drivers, of which 450 were tracked with a webcam. Upon the study’s conclusion, researchers discovered that on average, women are actually 12 percent angrier than men when driving.

Using a webcam, the researchers looked at how stimuli such as sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell evoked certain emotional responses in the participants when they were placed in various driving scenarios including having someone overtake from the slow lane, having a backseat driver give unwarranted directions, and dealing with a non-signaling merger. Of course, the road rage experience wouldn’t be complete without the traditional horn-blaring and shouting.

Apart from the discovery that they were 12 percent angrier drivers than men, women also tended to lose their cool faster with backseat drivers (13 percent angrier than men) and with those who didn’t signal (14 percent angrier).

So what makes women angry behind the wheel?

Patrick Fagan, a psychologist from Goldsmith University in London and the conductor of the study, surmised that women’s inclination for anger stems from the period when people were still cave-dwellers. “Evolutionary theory suggests our early female ancestors had to develop an acute sense of danger for anything that threatened them and their young if their cave was undefended while men were out hunting,” Fagan said. “That ‘early warning system’ instinct is still relevant today, and women drivers tend to be more sensitive to negative stimuli, so get angry and frustrated quicker.”

Similar to the Harris Interactive survey, Hyundai’s study also unearthed some interesting things about the driving experience. For instance, one of the findings suggests that men are more at ease with having a conversation in a car. So if you want a guy to open up, hit the road with him. Other significant study findings include:

• Singing in the car made 54 percent of the respondents happy
• Empty roads are a godsend for 84 percent of the respondents
• Many UK drivers enjoy the experience because of the freedom (51 percent), mobility (19 percent), and independence (10 percent) it gives them

According to Tony Whitehorn, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor UK, the commissioned study was intended to give the company better insight into the factors that affect driver behavior on the road. By studying emotions and reactions, Hyundai intends to come up with advancements that can help improve the driving experience.

Hyundai along with Fagan used the results of the study to create the world’s first Driving Emotion Test (DET), which uses facial coding technology, eye tracking analysis, galvanic skin response and a heart rate monitor to document specific responses to stimuli while driving. The results of the test are then analyzed by a special software to provide test takers with their actual DET score.

Want to know how likely a road rage is going to happen to you? Hyundai has an app version of the Driving Emotion Test they used in the study up at their website. Simply answer questions related to your driving habits to know your emotional intelligence behind the wheel.